'LOOK UP'

Reg Flowerdew

John 17: 1; Acts 7: 55,56; Hebrews 12: 1,2; 2: 8 from "But now" to 9 "glory and honour"

I have the impression, which has flowed from what we have sung (Hymn No.213) and what we have already heard, that the Lord in His love would encourage us to look up. There is much in this scene which appears to command our attention and would fill our gaze, but I think the love of Jesus is operative to this end, that we may look up; look up with an object in view, that is, Jesus Himself.

Scripture encourages us to look up; to look off and away from that which so fully presents itself to us for our attention; to look up to Christ Himself. I think He is attractive to such a degree that, as we focus on Him and are occupied with Him who is so glorious, there is for us satisfaction of soul and stimulation in a scene of difficulty, where our pilgrim path is. There is, above all an answer to His affection. We often think of what is for the satisfaction of our affections, and God in His grace provides for their satisfaction, but how much greater is the satisfaction of the affections of Christ! As we are stirred by His word in love, and as our attention is attracted away from this scene towards Himself, as our occupation is with Him, how much there is for the satisfaction of His heart, for this is a scene in which there is general refusal of Him, a refusal to look to Him.

It occurred to me in connection with John 17 that there was no hindrance to the view that Jesus had of the Father and towards the Father. He "lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father": simple words, but how profound! I suppose of no other could it have been said that there was that clarity, that range, that directness of view which Jesus had of the Father. How blessed a portion, we might say, He had knowledge of the Father's affection in the scene of contrariety. How much there was by way of pleasure, one might say joy, for the Father as the gaze of Christ was lifted towards Him, Christ knowing full well what lay before Him. There was no resentment in His spirit. There was only shrinking and recoiling from that which He was facing at this juncture, as the synoptic gospels bring out. That is not emphasised here. The spirit of Christ was unruffled, and He delighted in the communion suggested in the uplifting of His eyes, He having a view in which there was an exchange of affection between Himself and the Father. There are many verses in John's gospel which are stated in great simplicity and which are exceedingly profound and glorious. This is one of them. Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven, with no thought for Himself but every thought for the Father whose pleasure and whose glory He sought; "Father, the hour is come". There was no hint in the words of Christ that this was the hour of pressure, but rather that it was the hour in which there should be the glorification of the Father. What a matter of wonder it is for us; "that thy Son may glorify Thee".

There was an unhindered view when Christ lifted up His eyes. By virtue of His work there may now be an unhindered view for those who have their trust in Him. I hope we all have our confidence in Christ and are able to lift up our eyes in the joyful knowledge of the fact that His work in its completeness, its fulness and its perfection, has removed every hindrance to our view towards heaven. What an incentive it is to lift up the eyes, when we realise that all hindrance, darkness and greyness, has been removed in the death of Christ. Stephen was in the gain of this. He was in a setting in which there was persecution as no other had faced it before. Many have faced persecution subsequently, yet he in a sense led the way in the experience of persecution. Every means was given by which he might be sustained in the face of the greatest threat, surrounded as he was by adversaries. Being full of the Holy Spirit he was able to draw on infinite resource. He fixed his eyes on heaven. He was able to do it. One marvels at it. Would you and I be able to do it? The means is given to do it. If Stephen was able to fix his eyes on heaven in the scene of the greatest opposition, can we not think that there is the means given for us to fix our eyes on an object able to fill them, to fill our hearts and our souls, to bring effect (for there is bound to be an effect as glory is in view) to our lives and in our testimony? How fine a testimony Stephen was. "He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God", the place of power; there was a heavenly acknowledgement of the power and effect of Stephen's testimony. At the point of greatest pressure and persecution his view was unrestricted and he was in the gain of it. How much are we in the gain of it? They bore witness to him, that his face was as the face of an angel (see Acts 6: 15).

In Hebrews, if I may trace through the scripture rapidly, we are given the encouragement to lay aside certain things which become a weight to us, which on the face of them are entirely legitimate and seemingly harmless, may be a weight to us. "Laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us". We can so easily be ensnared. Satan is a past master at putting snares before us and causing hindrance. However, there is encouragement in the words "Let us", which run through this epistle. "Looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith"; "Let us ... run with endurance the race that lies before us". Jesus ran the whole course (as we often say as to this section of Scripture) of faith; He ran the whole course, and faith is given in order that we may do so. As for Stephen, the full supply of the Spirit is available to us, in order that we might proceed with ever quickening pace, and we have One before us to whom we can look off. Let us look off, then, to Jesus; look away from that which is around, and from self, look off and look up. This becomes a stimulus to greater activity in service towards Him, helping us to be disengaged from what might otherwise occupy us here, so that the testimony might be promoted and that there might be prosperity in the pilgrim pathway, which is oft times beset by difficulty. If we look up we find that strength is given us to continue.

Earlier in Hebrews, in a scripture which is most precious to the believer, the occupation of the writer is not with "all things", but rather with Him: that is the emphasis; He is to be our occupation. "But now we see not yet all things subjected to him but we see Jesus, who was made some little inferior to angels ..." What grace! He came within our range so that we might in faith lift up our eyes to Him! We see Him, "who was made some little inferior to angels on account of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour". This section of Scripture is to encourage us to honour Him in our minds, our words and our practice. And as we look up to Him in simplicity, moved by His affection we sense that His gaze is upon us. His gaze expresses interest in His own in this scene. It expresses compassion, as ever it did. There is a sequence in Hebrews to which attention has been called: Jesus succours, sympathises and saves completely. He acts towards those who look to Him with great practical effect, so that there might be with us even more the readiness to respond to Him for His satisfaction.

His satisfaction is detected, if I might so say, in the pulsing of His own affection towards His own, and as we respond in simplicity, disengaged from that which might otherwise legitimately occupy us. What an opportunity that is for the gratification of His heart as we are in faith (not in a state of suspense or in the exercise of imagination: there is nothing so solid as faith) and in the power of the Spirit, just as Stephen was filled with the Spirit in the greatest adversity. That power is available to us. As we look up to Christ, we are given every incentive to be pleasing to Him and to answer to His affection in a scene where He has been rejected. What a privilege it is! The heart is uplifted as one is engaged with Him. The difficulties of the way shrink, and the glory of Christ is enlarged and brighter to us. Above all, His own heart is satisfied.

LONDON

12 July 1988