ENJOYMENT
Jim Marshall
I would like to say a word, brethren, about enjoyment. Our brother has referred to "all men" and I believe that God has nothing else in mind for all men than that they should be brought into enjoyment. We sang:
"... of that world of bliss,
Where nought of sin can enter,
Where joy eternal is." (Hymn 259)
When the Lord Jesus came here, there was a message from the angel, and the announcement was, "I announce to you glad tidings of great joy" for all men (Luke 2: 10) and Luke's gospel finishes with great joy. When you are first converted, you feel it is a great thing to be clear of your sins, and that is a great joy. But there is far greater enjoyment in mind for us. It is not only peace with God but there is the enjoyment of what is eternal. In this world all that you see is what is spoken of in Revelation: grief, cry and distress. But what is in mind is wonderful enjoyment and it is open for everyone: from the youngest to the oldest, from the poorest to the richest, all can experience this enjoyment.
Where we have read we have transparency. I think that, if we are established in transparency, it is a great contributor to enjoyment. We not only enjoy divine Persons, but we enjoy relationships with one another. It says in Psalm 133 where it speaks about unity, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ... for there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing ..." - you might say, He commanded the enjoyment - "... life for evermore".
And here we have the one pearl: no doubt, that would speak of the assembly. It speaks of many pearls, but they all seem to have their resource from the one pearl. Think of what the one pearl is as joy for the Lord Jesus, "a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; and having found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all whatever he had and bought it", Matt.13: 45,46. We want to know, not only what it is to enjoy divine Persons, but to enjoy what we have in the enjoyment of the assembly. The Psalmist could say,"... let my tongue cleave to my palate: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy", Ps 137: 6 - his chief joy. And it is not only the joy of the assembly, but the joy of sonship.
But it goes on to speak of the street of the city as being of pure gold. It does not stop there: it says, "as transparent glass". It is wonderful to experience clearness. Think of the man who was blind and did not see clearly and the Lord touched him again and it says he "saw all things clearly", Mark 8: 25. I think that is what would be experienced in ''the street of the city pure gold, as transparent glass". This is what the Lord Jesus is wanting, amongst us, clearness, transparency with one another, and if we have transparency with one another, you can rest assured, we will have nearness with one another. Transparency and nearness go together and make way for divine Persons. There are no blemishes or obstacles in this street. It is a clear way. It is what John the Baptist preached. When John the Baptist came, his whole bent was to make a clear way, to make a straight way. That is where Ananias found Saul, in a street called Straight - no crooked path. Our brother has referred to John 7 where the Lord speaks about thirsty souls and His cry was in relation to the Spirit. I believe that the Spirit had this street as He descended and came amongst those gathered and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe He had a clear way as they were sitting waiting.
This is a challenge: are we presenting the Lord Jesus with a clear way for His return? Are we presenting Him with a clear way for coming in amongst us? I believe the conditions that we see here involve further activities of divine Persons amongst us. The prayer of Jesus in John 17, ''that they may be one, as we are one". That prayer was answered in the beginning, and we want to keep that beginning before us. Oneness comes through transparency and nearness.
In this Scripture the Lamb is there. "And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine for it; for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb". It was the Lamb who took away our sins, who was sacrificed for our sins. I feel it is very touching, that the one who was forsaken of God was the Lamb of God. One has thought of when we first got clear of our sins. I never forget that night, beloved. The hymn was given out:
"Just as I am - without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!" (Hymn 446)
Think of that, beloved brethren, "But that Thy blood was shed for me" and think about where He is now. What joy, what enjoyment, enjoyment that never ceases! It goes on to eternity. The Lamb that was slain, the exalted Lamb, the One that was found worthy to open the book! And the Lamb is the light as well. There is no need of the sun, no need of the moon, it is the world of bliss of which we sung and we all need to enjoy it. There is no need to wait until the Lord takes you! You can enjoy it now. What is temporal will cease, but we can experience eternal enjoyment now.
I present these few simple words that they might help us to experience more enjoyment. There is much around us that would make us sad and make us downcast, but let us go over to the other side where joy is never ending, where love never ends, and where divine Persons ' joys never end either, and we can enjoy it now. May the Lord just bless these few words.
EDINBURGH
6 June 1995