ALL THINGS

Acts 13:36-39; Colossians 1:12-20; Revelation 21:1-5

I have a great desire, dear friends, that Christ might be magnified in all of our hearts. If you do not know the Lord as your Saviour, I would trust that there might be grace to lead your heart to Christ tonight, and for those of us who do know and love the Lord Jesus, may He have a greater place in our affections. He is worthy of the supreme place in every heart, as He will have very soon in the entire world.

I have read these passages with varying references to “all things”. There are many scriptures where the words “all things” appear, and it may be observed that “all things” are usually spoken of in relation to divine Persons. Who else is sufficient for “all things”? We are but failing creatures, while God, whom we speak of in the glad tidings, is infinitely great.

I have read first of all from the Acts. This was an opportunity granted to the apostle Paul to preach the glad tidings, and he said in the little section from which we have read; “he whom God raised up did not see corruption”. Do you know who that was? It was the Lord Jesus. These words could only be said of the Lord Jesus, because anyone else who goes into death is subject to corruption, but He never was. That precious body of the Lord Jesus did not see corruption. That was not simply because He was a relatively short time lying in death, but He could not see corruption. God raised Him, and Paul says, “he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Be it known unto you, therefore, brethren, that through this man remission of sins is preached …”; that is Jesus – the Lord Jesus Christ. That blessed Man who came here on God’s behalf was and is none other than the Son of God, a glorious divine Person, but He came here in order to take up a pathway of devoted service in relation to the will of God. Where there had never before been a true answer for the pleasure of God, there came about then the fulfilment of those remarkable words, “Lo, I come (in the roll of the book it is written of me) to do, O God, thy will”, Heb.10:7. How marvelous was the incoming of the Lord Jesus! The occasion of His incoming to this world was an opportunity for rejoicing to be made, a declaration of peace being announced. We may say, where is the evidence of peace on the earth now? But Christ has established everything for the eternal peace of souls like us who would trust in Him, as well as the basis for the settlement of everything in finality for God’s glory. In the reading earlier we were pondering over these thoughts concerning God’s rest and the anticipation of the complacency of God throughout the eternal day in all that will for ever be for His delight. There will be undisturbed peace and blessing flowing out from the heart of God Himself.

Through this blessed Man of whom we are speaking, Paul says, “remission of sins is preached to you”. Remission of sins: what a work has been accomplished by my blessed Saviour! No one else could accomplish what Christ has done. He completed the work that was given Him to do, having glorified God on the earth. How much He was and is loved by God. The Father declared His delight in His own beloved Son when He was here and how worthy Jesus was of that declaration from heaven. The heavens being opened, the Father’s voice was heard, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”, Matt.3:17. Dear friend, is Christ the object of your delight? What have you to say about this Man? Paul said, “through this man remission of sins is preached to you, and from all things from which ye could not be justified in the law of Moses, in him every one that believes is justified”.

That is not a long sentence, but it is of marvelous import. The law of Moses could not justify the sinner, but rather served to highlight guilt, but in contrast, “every one that believes is justified” as trusting in Him. What a Saviour! No wonder we were able to sing those words in the opening hymn,

‘All things are ready’       Hymn 196

Would anyone dare to suggest that there is something incomplete concerning the work of the Lord Jesus? How offensive even to think of it. How complete and full is the perfect accomplishment by the Saviour of everything, of “all things”, to the satisfaction of God. God’s heart is satisfied. We may say, He is satisfied with Jesus; are you satisfied as well? What could I or anyone possibly add to what the Lord has done? What could I do to efface the past in regard of my guilty history? What could I do to provide for what is needed right at this moment? Thank God that there is no need for me to attempt to do any of these things for Christ has done it all!

‘O what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord!’      Hymn 169

What satisfaction it gives to the preachers to preach concerning Jesus for “No one believing on him shall be ashamed”, Rom.10:11. What a Saviour He is – the One who has in every way satisfied God and answered to His holy requirements.

I read this section because I was impressed thinking of these words “all things”. We may remember many things in our lives that trouble us at times in our consciences. But “all things” can be cleared by trusting in this blessed Saviour. These words are very precious to me: “Be it known unto you, therefore, brethren” – Paul was addressing those of Israel for the moment as brethren – “that through this man remission of sins is preached to you, and from all things from which ye could not be justified in the law of Moses, in him every one that believes is justified”. What a wonderful thing to be accounted righteous by God, to have the sense in your soul that you are entirely clear of every trace of guilt that may have attached to you, and I repeat the words, “all things” – to be entirely clear of it all, justified, set free!

This blessed Man who was raised is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been raised for our justification. We have justification in a risen, glorified Saviour. The fact that Christ is risen and glorified is of great importance. Amongst other things, it is the witness of the entire satisfaction of God with all that Christ, His own beloved Son, has accomplished. God has set Him in the highest place of honour at His own right hand. Let us never forget or in any way fail to appreciate the precious sufferings of the Lord Jesus. How deep and how full they were. He bore things in His spirit as He moved along the pathway here, and He is referred to by the prophet of old as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa.53:3), but then there came the point when He finally moved onward to the cross itself, the scene of man's bitter hatred against my precious Saviour. It was the occasion of the utter wickedness of man against the Lord Jesus being so unjustly expressed. But then, in those solemn hours upon the cross from the sixth to the ninth hour, darkness fell upon the earth, as if God was screening from man's view the intensity of all that the Saviour was passing through. He bore the wrath of God, although never ever on His own personal account, for He was without guilt. Remember that He suffered “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God”, 1 Pet.3:18. The just One for the unjust died – the work was truly completed. The Lord Jesus could say at the close of those three hours, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and delivered up His spirit. Then His body was placed in the grave, signifying among other things the complete removal of the man who had offended God and was now put out of the sight of God. God is now proclaiming the wonder of His love, in all the blessed radiance of the face of a risen and glorified Saviour, shining from the glory and beaming down upon man – beaming down upon you, dear friend, that you might trust Him if never having done so before. And if you have, that glory is beaming down upon you still, in order that you might be enlarged and enriched by the favour of divine grace.

Let us all increasingly appreciate the wonderful love that entered into all that the Saviour has accomplished. He was not forced into circumstances of extremity out of which He found no way of escape; He went in love and in devoted commitment to the will of God to carry everything through. In anticipation of what it meant, Jesus had already spoken to His Father in the garden and said, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as thou wilt”, Matt.26:39. Think of the Lord Jesus at that point, still in the enjoyment of perfect communion with His Father, but feeling no doubt on account of His holiness the awful requirement that the cup could not pass from Him – but it had to be fully drunk by Himself. O dear friend, may your heart be expanded in appreciation of the wonder of divine love. We never deserved it – none of us here could say in any measure that we were deserving of the mercy of God – but God has set Christ forth as a mercy-seat in order that He might communicate the feelings of His heart to us and to all who believe, in order that salvation and blessing might be obtained.

I want to say a little about the passage in Colossians, because it would be noted no doubt in reading it that there are many references in this section to “all things”, and they serve largely to magnify the greatness of the Lord Jesus, God’s beloved Son. The apostle Paul was writing to believers this time. He was not now addressing those of Israel as brethren in his appeal in the glad tidings, but he was writing a letter to believers known and loved in Colosse, and he wrote, “giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light”. We have acquired all our fitness through the work and love of divine Persons towards us. We have no fitness of our own, but we have been made fit; “who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light, who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love: in whom we have redemption”. How blessed – redeemed at such a cost by the precious blood of Jesus. I know that some may refrain from speaking about the blood, thinking perhaps it sounds a little bit offensive, but that precious blood is valued in the sight of God! Why should anything counted precious and so valued by God, and the very means of our redemption, be in any way set aside in the announcement of the glad tidings? It is something that we delight to speak about, the wonderful depth of divine love being conveyed in the shed blood of the precious Saviour. We are cleansed by that precious blood of Jesus!

Well, “by him were created all things” and “all things have been created by him and for him”. These are wonderful references. I had not in mind to dwell too long on all the detail of them because it is a vast subject in itself. It might be of interest to some here to take up a little study of the many interesting references to “all things” concerning the Lord Jesus. It is a very full and comprehensive study, concerning all things that God has been able to bring about because of Him. He is also the Sustainer of everything, “he is before all, and all things subsist together by him”. But I wanted to come down to this particular point, “who is the beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that he might have the first place in all things”. How worthy the Lord Jesus is to have the first place in all things.

God’s intention is that Christ should have the first place in all things. That necessarily includes the desire that He should have the first place in our hearts. May He have that place of which He is so worthy! We so often tend to be diverted by other things, but may Christ have that full place of which He is so worthy. It may be reflected upon in a section in Revelation 5, where His worthiness is proclaimed by a vast company, a very vast throng, “saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that has been slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in the heaven and upon the earth and under the earth, and those that are upon the sea, and all things in them, heard I saying, To him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, blessing, and honour, and glory, and might, to the ages of ages” (vv.12,13). Christ will fill everything, all things – all things in heaven, all things in the earth, all things under the earth, all things upon the sea. Every heart can be filled by Christ now. How worthy He is to have that place and to be honoured by Him who sits upon the throne, God Himself. God and the Lamb will be there.

Well, the Lord Jesus will have that place eternally. There will never be rest and true peace secured until Christ has His rightful place. Men may toil and labour and do as they please or invent what they may like, but they will never ever establish universal peace or bring in anything in answering glory to God. What Christ has done has established the basis for it all, the reconciliation of all things. That basis has been laid; reconciliation is available for you. It is available for persons now as trusting in the Saviour, so that we might be reconciled to God and might experience what it is for all the distance to be removed and blessed nearness to God enjoyed, and to be brought into all the present and eternal lasting favour of His love. What reconciliation of all things has been accomplished by the Saviour too and the results will soon be brought about in actuality to the eternal glory of God – the Godhead satisfied by all that Christ has done.

That is why I read from Revelation. We read of the wonderful account of the introduction of the sphere of new creation, as we may call it, and the conclusion at the end is, “And he said to me, It is done”, Rev.21:6. What a wonderful sphere of eternal happiness lies ahead of us: “And he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new”. It will mean eternal happiness for all who are Christ’s, but I have read this partly to show that God will accomplish and bring to finality what suits Himself. The foundation has been laid through the work of the Lord Jesus, and the basis for your blessing and mine secured by that precious work of the Saviour. May you accept it for yourself. The answer to God in final glory and delight for His own heart will thereby be brought about. Everything unsuited to God will be removed; there will be no disturbing elements in the scene of new creation that we have read about here. The whole sphere will be sustained and subsist eternally for God’s glory and satisfaction. It will be far greater than the original creation because it will be animated by love. It will not only be a manifestation of the power and divinity and greatness of God, but it will be a perfect answer to all that has been wrought by the love of God – a returning answer secured from responsive hearts amongst whom God will dwell; God tabernacling with men. I love to think of that – God finding a residence wherein He will be able to dwell in complacency and find all that ministers to, and will remain for, His own delight eternally.

God operates in view of His own glory; He is entitled to do that. God is entitled to do that because of who He is. He is jealous of His own glory and feels the conditions and the things that exist in the world at the present time. He has witnessed and seen so clearly all that was meted out to His own beloved Son here. God will see that judgment is brought in to bring all that line of evil to a closure. There will be judgment finally upon those who despise the appeal of His grace in the glad tidings. They will be held accountable, and so will you, dear friend, if you do not turn in heart and trust in the Lord. Call upon Him while He is near! “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21), but final judgment will come in upon unbelievers. The great white throne will be the occasion of that, for God has appointed His Man to judge; that One who is our Lord Jesus Christ, whom He has raised from amongst the dead, is also appointed to reign. God has made Him “both Lord and Christ” (v.36). He will finally execute righteous judgment on God’s behalf in order that there might be complete clearance in view of the introduction of the scene of eternal, abiding glory for the pleasure of God.

O that our hearts may be energised by the consideration of these things so that we may be motivated to give that answer in responsive praise that the Lord Jesus is so worthy of, and that God is yearning for. I often feel how lacking in response my heart is, and marvel at the patience of God that He should be so forbearing and gracious, but that is characteristic of God. How gracious He is, a gracious God who would enrich us by His grace so that we might by the power of the Holy Spirit be granted that capacity to answer responsively to the glory of God.

That reminds me that there is another reference to the “all things” in connection with the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 14, the Lord says, “the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you” (v.26). What a wonderful service is rendered by the Holy Spirit, given to those who obey the glad tidings. God would give you the gift of the Holy Spirit so that He might “teach you all things”. What a precious service is rendered by the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, comfort us, sustain us and give us capacity to take in the things of God and the precious communications from heaven so that we might become vessels of praise in the divine service. The Father is bringing many sons to glory; there will be a wonderful answer secured from those patterned after Christ, secured according to divine purpose, and formed according to the work of God in order to answer in praise to His glory.

Well, I close with that, but it is clear that “all things” – and I feel how comprehensive that expression necessarily is – will be brought into finality in view of the eternal glory of God. All things will be new and all things delightful to Him and all things patterned after Christ in whom all will necessarily find their centre in glory and love.

May He have that worthy place in your heart that He truly deserves.

Preaching of the gospel, Maidstone

5 June 2022

 

 

John Laurie