THE WAY INTO DIVINE BLESSING
J. Spinks
Luke 2: 8–14; 23: 39–46; Matthew 18: 1–4
What we have been engaged with over this weekend involves the greatest things that God could conceive for man; things that have emanated from the heart of God Himself, a God whose very nature is love, and whose desires are that every one, every man, woman and child should come into the blessedness of His great thoughts. They are all centred in one blessed Man, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now you can be sure that if God sets something on, of necessity it must be greater than anything that man could set on. What God has set on He will never deviate from, it will never fail and it will never lessen in its greatness. Throughout eternity God will be able to sustain persons wonderfully blessed of Himself. He will be able to sustain a system of blessing all centred in one blessed Man; it will never fail and it will never weaken, and it will never get stale or old.
I wish to speak about the way we come into these things. In the beginning of Luke 2 there was a decree given by Caesar Augustus. He was the head of the great Roman empire, the head of the civilised world at that time. It was one of the great empires that have arisen in this world, and at the time of the Lord’s birth it would be, I suppose, at the height of its power. This man made a decree that a census should be made of the whole habitable world. I have no doubt that human pride was behind it. He would think to himself, I would like to know the extent of my kingdom, the extent of my power. Think of how man loves to exercise power, it is latent in every heart, power to exercise influence, to have persons under your control and domination. No doubt this man would confer with those who were close to him and he would decide to have a census; that would involve that he would take account of the extent of his dominion.
Here this is all set in motion and, through it, we find these two beloved persons, Joseph and Mary, summoned to Bethlehem with a view to coming under the count of this Roman emperor. Think of it, in the midst of all man’s vaunted glory, a child is born into the world.
God is approaching man in Christ. Is it not wonderful? You think of God waiting all those years, waiting until the time when this great empire was at its zenith before bringing in the Man of His choice. He did not come in as a great emperor, as a rival to Caesar. If God had chosen to exercise His power in that way, all the power of the Roman empire could not have hindered Him, it would have been swept aside like leaves in the wind. He is soon going to bring Christ in as mighty Ruler; it says, “when he brings in the firstborn into the habitable world, he says. And let all God’s angels worship him”, Hebrews 1: 6. Every one who loves the Lord Jesus is looking forward to that wonderful day. O, what glory there will be! It will not be human glory; it will not be the pomp and splendour of man; it will be the glory of God. Think of the moral glory of the incoming of this Babe, One who was no less than God Himself.
Here we find shepherds keeping watch by night over their flock and they are in full sympathy with what God is doing. I would just like to put it to every one of us here. Are we in sympathy with what God is doing? God is not acting in a way to rival human glory. He would not lower Himself to do that. He may work in a publicly small way, but what God does He does for ever, and His glory will never diminish. It says, “an angel of the Lord was there by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them”. These angels would be there at the creation of the world, they would wonder at the power of God bringing everything into being by His word. It says, “he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast”, Psalm 33: 9. These angelic beings would witness that. They would witness God’s eternal power and divinity as He brought this whole universe into being by His word, and now they were seeing the Creator for the first time, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. How wonderful it is! What it is to have in our souls that we have to do with the One who is the Creator; the Lord Jesus is the One who made the worlds. Of course, at that time He had not come into human form, but it was that divine Person who brought the whole universe into being by an act of power. It says, “All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being”, John 1: 3. Someone asked Mr. Darby in relation to that scripture in John’s gospel “In the beginning”, the beginning of what? Mr. Darby’s reply was, The beginning of everything that had a beginning. These angelic beings would see it, and we are told that it occasioned great joy. We speak about the solar system, but it extends beyond the ability of man to comprehend. Men seek to encompass the universe, and they cannot even do that; each time they develop a stronger telescope they discover further constellations, and then they maintain that it all came about by chance. How futile, how absurd, are man’s paltry theories in the face of the glory of the Creator.
The angel goes on to say, “And this is the sign to you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and lying in a manger”. What a sign it was! Think of the Creator of the universe coming into such conditions, meeting humanity at its weakest point, as Mr. Darby’s hymn so beautifully puts it.
‘Nor yet in triumph passing,
But human infancy!’. (Hymn 188)
I love to think of the grace of God, that has taken such means to reach His creature. How wonderful it is that God would take such a way to put Himself in touch with humanity, a way that would not deter anyone, but rather attract them. There is nothing more attractive naturally than a little child, and God would love to attract you into His wonderful system of grace. Of course He has the right to command and He maintains that right. We read in Acts that God commands all men everywhere to repent. That is man’s proper position before God; God has a right to command, man’s only function is to obey. But God is acting presently on the principle of grace, and desires all to come into blessing. What God sets on may have small beginnings, how small the compass into which He came, a Babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, but it has a glorious result, a result that will fill the whole universe. Think of what will ensue from this wonderful way in which God is operating in divine grace towards men.
I read in chapter 23 where we come to the end of the precious life of Jesus. He came in as a babe, and we see Him in Luke’s gospel growing into boyhood. Scripture does not reveal to us much of His life before His public service, but enough to bring out the holy perfection of His humanity. I suppose we are not very old when we realise that we are sinners, there is something in us that rebels against authority. The Lord was not like that. He grew up in holy perfection, every step, every movement, every thought and every impulse was directed from heaven—even as a boy of twelve He says, “did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?”, Luke 2: 49. What a business it is! It is not like the businesses of this world, they flourish and they fail; but what God sets on can never fail because it has all been put into the hand of one blessed Man. Think of the glory of what is in the hand of Christ.
So we see Him in this gospel moving through this scene bringing the compassion of God to men in every condition and circumstance, the blind, the lame, the bereaved. Think of the awfulness of death, the effect of it on the human race, the Lord was the only One able to meet it. Think of the widow of Nain, her only son dead, and she a widow, leading this sad procession out of the city. All her hopes would be built up on this boy and he was being carried out for burial; what a sad picture. It really depicts the effects of sin and death on the whole human race; up to that point no one had been able to stop it. It says, “coming up he touched the bier, and the bearers stopped”, Luke 7: 14. I love to think of it. In a sense we could trace this sad procession right back to Adam, no one had been exempt from the effects of death, but it has to yield to the touch of this blessed Man. Then the voice of Christ is heard in all its quickening power, “Youth, I say to thee, Wake up”. It is like the gospel, bringing in life. But before the Lord could bring in life, He had to taste the awfulness of death.
I read this section in Luke 23 because it reminds us of the cost involved in bringing us into blessing, and the way that one man availed himself of the blessing. These two malefactors were hanged one on either side of Jesus. One rebuked the Lord, he said, “Art not thou the Christ? save thyself and us”. Of course, he was not thinking of the Lord in the least degree, he was thinking of himself; that is man, that is the human heart. The other malefactor saw that there was something different about Jesus; he recognised that He was different from every other man. He says, “for we receive the just recompense of what we have done; but this man has done nothing amiss”. It really points the way into blessing; you come by way of repentance, repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. How simple the gospel is! I do not know if this man had had a life of crime, it may well have been so. He may have been a criminal deserving of the punishment being meted out to him by the authorities, but at the very last moment he turns to the Lord and says, “Remember me, Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom”, and the Lord answers, “Verily I say to thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”. What a wonderful promise!
Here was one about to pass off this scene in judgment, and he lays hold by faith on the only One who could do anything for him. In countries that have the death penalty, appeals are sometimes made on behalf of persons who are under the sentence of death; and in this way the person concerned is sometimes granted a reprieve, but there was no hope for this man apart from Christ. That is the present position of man, he has no hope outside of Christ. I trust that everyone here has turned in repentance and in self-judgment to the only One who can bring in hope and bring in life. Men attempt to build up a system that will bring about conditions whereby they can live in peace and safety, but the more you see of it the more you realise the futility of trying to build up something outside of Christ. How hopeless it all is. But when you put your trust in Christ you are brought into a living hope, that is what Peter says, “has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead”, 1 Peter 1: 3.
This man did not have much time to reflect on his life, but what he would reflect on would cause shame; that is so with many of us, we can look back on things which cause shame. Thank God, when we put our faith and trust in Christ, hope does not make ashamed, because our whole sinful history has been covered righteously, and what we have to look forward to is glory with Christ. That is what this man had, it is the portion of every believer. It says, “hope does not make ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us”, Romans5: 5. That is to say the Spirit of God brings these wonderful blessings into our hearts for our present enjoyment. God has a whole system of blessing centred in Christ; there is no breakdown attaching to it, and the way into the enjoyment of it is through the Holy Spirit. He has come from a glorified Christ, to bear witness to the fact that He is enthroned in heaven, and to bring all the blessings of the gospel into our very hearts. It is a wonderful thing! Not only is our future assured, but the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, and that is really the source of blessing.
I read in Matthew because it sets out an important aspect of this way into blessing; it is by being converted and becoming as little children. The malefactor did not have the privilege of following Jesus in the way; he was about to be ushered into eternity, but he got the blessing.
Those of us who are left here, in the little time that is left, have to learn how to become as little children. The Lord says, “Verily I say to you, Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens”. The kingdom of the heavens is only mentioned in Matthew and it relates to the whole system of glory centred in Christ. There are also many references in the gospels to the kingdom of God. We have been taught that it is the moral sway of God in the soul. It involves that we renounce our own wills and come under the will of Another; it brings us into a realm of great blessing. We were reading recently about the young Egyptian who came into contact with David, who is a wonderful type of Christ. He was servant of an Amalekite and he told David that his master left him when he fell sick. That is like the world; if you have something to offer it will take you on, but when you have nothing to offer it will cast you aside. When you come to Christ, who is the true David, come into His kingdom, you will find that there is resource and blessing. This young man would never have known a master like David; he would say to Himself, This is far better than I had before, David is not like my old master. That is what you find, the principle of sin has a degrading effect, it does not make persons happy, quite the opposite. Those of us who are a little older know the effects of it, it is like the old master, it is really a system which is under the hand of Satan. What he seeks to do is drag you down; he puts certain promises before you and makes things look good, but he is a deceiver, that is his character. What apparently looks good and is to be desired, when you come to it, you find there is nothing in it. What God promises He will fulfil, and it is all centred in Christ. What is more, His promises are far greater than you or I could ever imagine, it says, “Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man’s heart, which God has prepared for them that love him”, 1 Corinthians 2: 9. I suppose if we sat down and thought about what we really needed in a natural sense to make us happy, I dare say we would all have much the same train of thought; if I had this and that, if I lived in a certain place, all these things would make me happy. No, but they would not. What God has in mind for you, what He has secured in Christ, is greater than anything that could be conceived by the human heart.
I wish I knew more of these things, but I know enough to be assured that God can do far better for me than I can do for myself, and I would like every one of us here to commit ourselves completely and irrevocably to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian way is a way of blessing; it has been set on by the Lord Jesus Himself, and He desires to attract every one of us into it. May all of us know the blessedness of this way of life, the way that leads to true happiness among the people of God. May the Lord bless the word, for His name’s sake.
Preaching at Grangemouth
16 May 1993