OCCUPATION WITH WHAT IS GOOD
[p. 324] OCCUPATION WITH WHAT IS GOOD
I have read these verses because they are in Philippians. I might get some verses like them elsewhere, but they are read because they are in the epistle to the Philippians, and also because of what they contain in themselves; that is, what is positive. There is very much of other than positive features in the world. When I speak of ‘positive’, I refer to what is conveyed in these verses, positive in the sense of what is substantially good, and which is thus to occupy us, so that we might be positive in the assertion of what is good. Philippians is especially in mind as the epistle which arose from the work of God through Paul in Macedonia. It will be recalled that as Paul was at Troas, a word came to him in a vision, a man of Macedonia speaking to him, saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us”; (Acts 16:9) and the apostle gathered assuredly, it says, that the Lord had called them to preach in Macedonia, and he arrived at Philippi which was the chief city in that area. He refers to it as a colony — a well-known word, although now somewhat giving way to dominion, to what is more distinguished and dignified politically. The apostle arrived, and I need not remind all of the history of the sufferings he endured, and those sufferings signified what was to be done in the place, in the city. It was to be a day of great prosperity spiritually, beginning with the women who went out to the riverside and had prayer. Prayer characterised the work there in a peculiar way, but then a certain woman came into view before the sufferings, and before the result of the sufferings, namely Lydia, “whose heart the Lord opened”, and not only opened, but opened “to attend to the things spoken by Paul”, (Acts 16:14). So there was a peculiar [p. 325] beginning at Philippi, and it was the beginning really of the work that we now share in, we here in the far west and the south. One is encouraged to call attention to this because of another word in the Scriptures, or record of the Lord’s words, namely the south, the Queen of the south. We are in the south; you will pardon me making geographical references, but the Spirit of God uses geography, and we are now in a peculiarly honoured place; not that I wish to say anything in any way to stimulate national feeling, but it is certainly right to encourage the brethren in what is right, in what God is doing in relation to them.
Returning to Paul’s work in Philippi, it is to say a word about the epistles; there is only one epistle to Philippi, one to Colosse, one to Ephesus, but there are two to Corinth, and these two epistles may be profitably compared with the epistle to the Philippians, because Philippians especially records that they had fellowship with the apostle from the first day until the day on which he wrote to them; that is, there was continuance with them in the work, not only in the knowledge of God, but in the gospel; they were thoroughly with the apostle in what he was doing in his evangelical services. So he was free to say many things about them that we often quote to one another, among which are the verses I have read to encourage us to be occupied with what is positively good, and to steady us in that occupation. There are many currents which are affecting us, affecting the saints, which we may regard as political currents, and we have to be guarded and fortified against them. The fortification I have in mind is in these verses, but I also refer to the general character of the epistle, and how it encourages the brethren to what is good. So I refer to a verse or two I have in mind with this in view. The apostle says, “Constantly in my every supplication, making the supplication [p. 326] for you all with joy, because of your fellowship with the gospel, from the first day until now; having confidence of this very thing, that he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ’s day: as it is righteous for me to think this as to you all, because ye have me in your hearts, and that both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the glad tidings ye are all participators in my grace. For God is my witness how I long after you all in the bowels of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and all intelligence, that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent, in order that ye may be pure and without offence for Christ’s day, being complete as regards the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ, to God’s glory and praise” Philippians 1:4 - 11.
I read that because it is a characteristic passage in Philippians, an encouraging passage for the saints there, and it has a striking application to what is in mind at the present time, and especially as to what has happened today. We have just heard of a sister who has today departed to be with Christ, and another sister who was buried today. This epistle speaks of Paul’s exercises about departing to be with Christ, and it is a matter that every one of us would, I am sure, have in his mind, more or less; it certainly is in my mind because it is so imminent in persons of one’s age, and when such occurrences as two sisters having departed to be with Christ are mentioned, we are not without feeling. The name of one of them has been long known in this city, and her family, too, is honoured in this city, so I thought it would be quite in order to call attention to the great apostle Paul’s own exercises. He was not at all concerned with any fear of death, he spoke of it as something to be desired; he said elsewhere, “I do not deprecate dying” (Acts 25:11); he had no fear [p. 327] as to it. At the same time, he had wholesome exercises regarding it, and so it is recorded in this chapter. Paul says, “having the desire for departure and being with Christ, for it is very much better”, Philippians 1:23 and I thought it was a suitable passage to refer to, so that we might all be sobered by these things, because they are not accidental, whatever may be concerned in them. Something has happened to sober us, but it may be to cause joy, too, if we refer to their lives, and certainly if they are really Christians, their lot is far better tonight than it was at the beginning of the week.
I mention this so that we might have it before us, and consider the epistle in the many things that are well known to us, being often quoted in our Bible readings and thought of in our private readings. Amongst these are such wonderful passages as refer to the Lord’s own incarnation; His mind, the mind of Christ, is spoken of, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation” Philippians 2:5 - 7. This epistle, and what I am saying tonight, has in mind to keep us lowly, because it is our salvation, it is a protection for us to keep lowly in the sense of the lowliness of the mind of Christ. I refer to it because it is such an outstanding passage in this epistle. I am not speaking of it in itself, I refer to the verses read, but I think it right to call attention to what is read with regard to the departing to be with Christ of two of our number in this city, and it is intended to sober us.
There are other passages in Paul’s epistles which allude to our being conformed to the image of Christ, which is a matter that requires the most diligent looking into on the part of all of us. We often think of what we are to be like, and of what our condition will be in the resurrection. John says, “it doth [p. 328] not yet appear what we shall be 1 John 3:2”. We know what we are, but what we shall be does not yet appear, but a passage in Philippians helps us. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ, the image of God’s Son; that would mean that we are to be like Him, not as He was here on earth exactly, that cannot be; He was alone in His service here, His life was taken from the earth, there was never another like Him, there will never be another like Him exactly, He was by Himself. It is well to think of these things, that He was alone, but He is not alone now — ‘No longer now alone’, as we sometimes sing, He is to have companions, and we are all to be amongst them. It is a question of what we are to be like, and John says, “it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” 1 John 3:2; that is not as He was in the days of His flesh before His death, nor even what He was in the forty days after His resurrection. We have to think of something more, and the word ‘more’ applies to us, to the family to which we belong - there is none like it, it is superior to all other families. What I am saying has the intent of stirring up our minds and affections as to what we are, what we our very selves are, and it is that we are to be like Christ. We shall be like Him, conformed to the image of God’s Son. We have references to the gospels as to what we are to be like; the Lord Himself says that those who have part in the resurrection shall be “equal to angels”. That is something to think of, to stir up our minds and affections as to what we are coming into; but then what attaches to all that is the thought of “that world” or ‘that age’, that is, the coming age, and the resurrection; in that world, and the resurrection, we shall be as angels. Other things can be said about that, but I am quoting from the Lord’s own words, which are in the three synoptic gospels, that we shall be “equal to angels”, we shall be “sons of God, being sons of the resurrection (Luke 20:36)”.
It is very remarkable that it is said of us that we are “sons of the resurrection”, the word “sons” being a figurative word in that sense, because the resurrection does not beget sons; sons of the resurrection is a result of Christ’s resurrection. We shall be as angels; you might say we are greater than angels, and that is true, and amongst the things in my mind is this greatness as attaching to our very selves, that is that we are the very first family in the whole universe. Every family in the heavens and on the earth is named by the Father, but we are the first family; the evidence of that might easily be shown in the fact that the Lord Jesus says, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”, (Revelation 22:16,17). The bride is alongside the Spirit, she is nearest to the Deity, as one has often said, and what a great thing it is to think over, that we belong to the family that is nearest to God, for it is said, that the Spirit and the bride say, “Come”, to the Lord Jesus. They act together, they say the same thing. You see, therefore, how great our position is, and not only that, but we are great, we are the objects of it, we are in mind, as has been said. The fact of it being said by the Spirit of God should affect us and should lead to a walk that is in keeping with it. In Ephesians it is said that there are good works ordained by God beforehand for us to walk in; they have been here, and they are here now, but the question is whether we are walking in them now. I thought I might freely bring this before us, so that we may be affected by the greatness of the things into which we are brought, and amongst these are what we shall be according to this epistle. This is to be taken in as a positive thing applicable to us,
[p. 330] to our own very selves on this very day, and it has in mind to make us heavenly, for we are that, but it is a question of being the thing that we are, in character; that is, being characterised by the Spirit of God, by the things that refer to us.
I proceed to say a word as to these verses, because they are very practical and come home to us; I might say they are homely thoughts, calculated to affect us, and they begin thus, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest”, (that word “honest” has the force of what is noble), “whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. There are no bad things mentioned at all. The newspapers contain what is corruptive, that which is vicious, and we have to be on our guard as to the use of these papers, although we cannot be in the world as not knowing what is current in it. The Scriptures afford much instruction and much information as to what is current in the world, and they afford, too, what God has in mind in the way of judgment, one of the most solemn things one can mention. In the book of Revelation it says, “Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to shew to his bondmen what must shortly take place; and he signified it, sending by his angel, to his bondman John, who testified the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all things that he saw” Revelation 1:1,2. That is something that came in late, in the period of the unfolding of the testimony of the Scriptures. This Revelation came in late, it came in from God to the Lord Jesus, it was a revelation, an apocalypse, an unfolding, an unveiling of things that were to come. “Write therefore what thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to be after these (Revelation 1:19)”. John has to write [p. 331] according to this order in the book of Revelation; the Lord directed him what to write, and the order in which the subjects should be written; and, of course, what was written was to be read according to the order in which it was written. So it is well to follow that order, and if we do, we shall get much instruction, because we all need this instruction as to what is coming on the world; awful woes are coming on the world.
I only refer to this by way of contrast with the verses I read, as in them there is not a single woe mentioned, not a single evil report; what is mentioned is all good, and it is calculated to strengthen and purify our hearts and minds, so that we may be stabilised in the midst of the evil that is current abroad. The evil in the book of Revelation is only recorded to sober us, and to bring us into accord with the mind of God at the present time, in order that we may have a clear outlook as to what is coming, because there is nothing coming to stimulate hope in the sense of prosperity in this world. God is not on those lines at the present time, not indeed that He does not prosper people, nor that the saints are not to prosper too, for God prospers us, but that is not to make us anything in the world, God is not on those lines. He has written the book of Revelation to sober us, to solemnise us, so that we may be brought into accord with Him as to the judgments that are impending, and they are awful. You say, That is hardly in keeping with what you began with. I am just speaking of things as they come to me, and I see that the brethren do well to look at things in the face. There are terrible things coming, but on the other hand, there are promises, and these are among the good things about which I have read. The greatest promise in the sense of which I have been speaking, is what the Lord gives to Philadelphia, “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which [p. 332] is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”, (Revelation 3:10). Therefore, we have to be on our guard, lest we be earth-dwellers, and be concerned about our houses and furniture and cars and all sorts of things; we are not to be occupied with them, but to learn to be heavenly, to be positively heavenly, because of what we are, not only what we shall come into, but what we are already, not naturally, but what we are as Christians; and so the word is, “What hath God wrought!” (Numbers 23:23) If we speak thus, it is not a question of admiring ourselves because of the work of God, but of seeing what the work of God is. God is to be glorified in His work, and if He is, we have to be occupied with the good things, the things that are above — “Have your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth”, (Colossians 3:2). It is a question of the mind, and we can control our minds. God has given us minds, but our minds are not to control us, we are to control our minds. So Paul says, “I myself with the mind serve God’s law”, (Romans 7:25). It is a determination in his mind, “I myself”.
So it is in this way that we come into what is positively good, dear brethren, and these verses I read begin with, “Finally, brethren ...” The apostle had already said something like this in chapter 3 — “Finally, my brethren”, and after saying a good deal more, he says again, “Finally, brethren”. He comes out with a last “finally”, as though he has arrived at the finish of his treatise.”Whatsoever things are true”, they have to be thought of first: “whatsoever things are honest”; that is, something that deserves respect. We are apt to be unduly democratic. I know full well what characterises the natural minds of some, and the Spirit of God would take us out of the natural, that is like the hyssop upon the wall. It is a question of progressing in what is noble and [p. 333] dignified, not in any human sense, but there is what is to be respected; the powers that be, the governors of the world, the governors of this country, are to be respected; not that we would set our minds on them, but it is well to have a respect for what is of God. Even if it be someone who is not really converted, if he is in a position that represents God, he is to be respected. This is a wholesome thing, so the first thing mentioned is what is “true”, and then what is “honest”. Then what is “just” is another thing that has to be well thought of, on which we have to set our minds. Then after that, it says, “whatsoever things are pure”, this is one of the most important words of which I can speak in this way. The impurity in the public press, to which I have already referred, very much tends to corrupt our minds, especially in youth. Therefore, these things are set before us by the apostle Paul to dignify us, to purify us, to make us righteous. In another sense, the first thing to be followed is righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11). The apostle Paul knows where to put words, where to use them and where they should be. As I was saying, the Lord speaks of the order of the book of Revelation, and the words are given, the titles are given where they should be, and they should be read in that order. Wherever we look up anything in the Scriptures, especially in Paul’s epistles, see what he says, and then see what it means, why it is said, and then why it is said in the order in which it appears.
Here it is a question of things that are dignifying, purifying and ennobling. That is what these words are meant for, so I mention them accordingly. The passage goes on further, “whatsoever things are of good report”; these are not the reports given by the public press (I am not now seeking to occupy you too much in that sense), but what is of good report is what is reliably reported. We may hear things and [p. 334] pass them round as facts, whereas they may not be facts; they may be only reports and may not be true, they may not be accredited, and if they are not accredited, we must not be occupied with them. What we are to be occupied with in this sense is things that are true, and things that are dignified or noble, and then “whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely”. The mind and affections are thus kept right and not corrupted by man’s ways or by his thoughts, because as soon as we get into the channel of man’s thoughts, our own minds are almost certain to be corrupted. Hence the need for protection from all that, and what saves us from it is occupation with what is good, what is holy, what is righteous. John, the writer of the Revelation, says, “he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” Revelation 22:11. That would mean (and it is remarkable that it appears in the book of Revelation) that if you are occupied with these things of which I am speaking, which tend to promote holiness, righteousness, goodness, loveliness and virtue, then the thing is to continue. In the same passage in Revelation, it says, “he which is filthy, let him be filthy still Revelation 22:11”. You say. That is remarkable! Why should the Spirit of God say it? But He does. How solemn it is that God is saying that we have arrived at a time of apostasy, and the people are apostate in the sense of being unholy and filthy. Well, let it be. God is going to let things go. Presently He is going to take us away altogether, and the whole system will be given over to the judgment of God. It is most solemn that God should say by His Spirit, “he which is filthy, let him be filthy still”, but “he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy [or sanctified] still”, Revelation 22:11 as if God would keep everything as it is, and let it go on and bear fruit, but let what is wicked stay, too.
[p. 335] It is as though God is saying, The time is very short and I am going to deal with the filthy, but I am also going to deal with those that are sanctified; I am going to take them up. Glorious thought! We are going to be translated, our bodies are to be changed according to Christ’s body. You see how near we are to the end, and how serious we must be as to these things. Let us, therefore, pay attention to what is good, and let it be absorbing, let it occupy us, let it be powerful enough to divert from what is evil, what is impure, what is bad. The Lord is soon coming, and everything is going to be changed, and if there is filthiness, if there is unrighteousness, if there is wickedness, there it stands, and God will find it there, and He will judge it there, and judge it unsparingly. The book of Revelation tells us what the judgments are to be, and they are terrible.
But then there is that wonderful promise for us tonight in the Lord’s word, “I also will keep thee (Revelation 3:10)”. It is not plural, it is singular. He is thinking of the saints; they are the body of Christ. In the Lord’s letter to Philadelphia, He says many things to her, He says, I am going to tell everyone that I love You — “they ... shall know that I have loved thee”, (Revelation 3:9) and added to that He says, “I also will keep thee”, (Revelation 3:10) that is, ourselves, for we belong to the body of Christ, His spouse. The book of Revelation treats of the spouse of Christ, the bride of Christ. It is to Him that “the Spirit and the bride say, Come (Revelation 22:17)”. That is what He is speaking about and the Lord is glorying in it. He speaks of His bride with the supremest pleasure, I am certain, and she responds to Him in the last chapter — “the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come” (because any report or any word like that is sure to spread). “And let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17)”. So that the promise to Philadelphia is a supreme matter for us,
[p. 336] it is something on which we can count, to be taken out of all this woe which is imminent, because it is imminent; the whole system is being corrupted, and God is just preserving us for a little while. He says, “I also will keep thee from” not ‘I will take thee out of it’, but “keep thee from the hour of temptation (Revelation 3:10)”. The reference is not to our translation, although it may synchronise with it, but the way it is put is that it is a question of keeping, and it involves our own power to keep ourselves. The Holy Spirit in us enables us to keep ourselves. “Praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”, (Jude 20,21). Well, that is how things are at the present moment, and it is a question of occupation with what is good, according to these verses.
Then the final verses are, “if there be any virtue”. That word refers to the power in us to say ‘No’ if it is bad, and to say ‘Yes’ if it is good. The word “virtue” implies power. You have power to refuse what is evil, and power to accept what is good, and treasure it, and what is good is outlined here in these words, and amongst them is this, “if there be any virtue” (as though the thought is that there is not much, but if there be any) and, “if there be any praise”, as though these things are rather small in the thought, still they are there. There is virtue, and there is praise, and that is what these words would promote in us; that is to say, virtue so that we are ready for praise, and then the praise itself that we may have part in the service of God. One of the greatest things that can be enlarged on, is that we have part in the service of God. That is not what is in heaven, it is what is here on earth, but kept here in the power of the Holy Spirit. The service of God is going on every week, in spite of the evil that is current abroad in the world. We are holding on to what is good, and in virtue of that, we are able to take part in the service of God as the time for it comes, and the [p. 337] time for it is the first day of the week, at the beginning of the time in the week, because God has the weeks in His mind. It is a question of weeks in this dispensation, it is not months but weeks, and the first day of the week is the great day in the mind of heaven into which the Lord’s supper enters, and in that, all these things I have been saying have their part.