THE HEAVENLY GIFT
THE HEAVENLY GIFT
CAC There is now the most wonderful character of giving, the Holy Spirit given out of heaven. It is rather remarkable, verse 13 might read, ‘The Father who from heaven will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him’ (see note in Darby Translation). The present time is really the time of the heavenly gift.
Rem “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights” (James 1: 17).
CAC The gift of the Holy Spirit is the supreme gift.
There could be nothing greater. When the Lord was here He was acting in the power of the Holy Spirit. We see in the miracles of the Lord samples of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ques Is that why this circumstance is recorded directly upon the mention of the gift of the Holy Spirit in verse 13?
CAC The Holy Spirit is the finger of God, “But if by the finger of God I cast out demons”. In Matthew it is the Spirit of God: “But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons” (Matthew 12: 28), showing us that the Holy Spirit is the finger of God, the mighty power of God. When the Lord was here He was bringing that power to bear upon men, “then the kingdom of God is come upon you”. In every man that was healed or delivered from the power of a demon, the power of the kingdom of God was present. It was shown and proved that there was a power come down from heaven and used by a lowly Man on earth great enough to deliver man from every power by which he was acted upon from beneath.
The great sign from heaven now is the Spirit. They sought a sign from heaven. The Lord was that when here, showing how he could deliver poor man from every evil power. The Holy Spirit is the power, divine power here.
It is a most significant incident; the man was dumb.
Nothing is a greater proof of the power of Satan. He was [p. 163] unable to speak to God or for Him. One of the greatest acts of power that any of us can do is to pray; the creature is thus linked with the infinitude of divine Persons. “Praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20), what a wonderful thing to be able to speak to God in the power of the Spirit! What efficacious prayer! We do not wait enough on the power of the Spirit in prayer, not allowing one’s own desires to take the lead but allowing the Spirit of God to give expression to His desires in us. What a character it gives to prayer, to ask, seek and knock now in the power of the Holy Spirit come down from heaven, and be set free in our desires and speech from all that comes from beneath.
Rem The only thing that the Lord suggests the Father giving is the Holy Spirit in contrast to the good gifts we might give to our children.
CAC It is most comprehensive to have a divine Person. I have a great desire to understand the greatness of it. A heavenly gift, the Spirit, at the present time brings in the finger of God and baffles all the magicians. We are either magicians or men of God. The magicians imitated what Moses and Aaron did, “Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses” by imitation, but they could not turn the dust into gnats. They could turn water into blood and bring up frogs — they could turn life into death and spread evil influences broadcast — but the finger of God is needed to bring in life (Exodus 8: 16 - 19). The Spirit of God brings in what is living; He is the power of life out of heaven. There is no greater evidence of that life than that man should speak to God and for Him. The power from beneath makes a man dumb.
Rem We might well desire that our mouths might be opened.
CAC The Spirit came down as “parted tongues” (Acts 2: 3). It is most suggestive that it should be in that form. Upon Christ the Spirit “descended in a bodily form as a dove”; in relation to the blessed character of that Man there was dove-like gentleness. The dove is also a mourner. “I mourned as a dove” (Isaiah 38: 14). The Spirit comes to link [p. 164] Himself with Christ as a heavenly mourner here. But “parted tongues, as of fire” suggest ability to speak.
Ques We were saying last week that we thought that asking suggested desire, seeking suggested energy of faith, and knocking suggested patience. What do you say to that?
CAC It is very good. All those things need to have their place with us. Dependence is learnt from the Lord Himself: they learnt it from the Lord. The very way He prayed made them long to pray like Him.
The Lord suggests others using the same power; He says, “Your sons — by whom do they cast them out?” There were those in Israel able to cast out demons. It is very suggestive, others are to have the power. At the present time that power is acting in the saints. There are others now, sons of men, able to exercise the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rem Previous to this the disciples say, “We saw some one casting out demons in thy name, and we forbad him, because he follows not with us” (Luke 9: 49).
CAC A sad thing for the man.
Ques Would “in thy name” suggest the greatness of that name?
CAC It would suggest the power that there was in that name.
Rem It would go to prove that there were those casting out demons in the power of that name apart from the disciples.
CAC Many do so today, but it is a pity not to follow. What a privilege he missed, using divine power but not following. He missed the wondrous and never-to-be-repeated privilege of following the Lord with the little band knit to Him in affection. There are many like that today.
Rem One would prefer to be a follower if it were a question of choosing between exercising power or following.
CAC “If any one serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall be my servant” (John 12: 26). The man was not where the Lord was, he was not in the [p. 165] company or circle but a freelance: he was a true servant and truly using divine power but what a privilege he missed. Those three and a half years were a most wonderful moment, the Son of God walking about with His disciples, with “signs and wonders”. These were the most wondrous times that the world had ever known. The man missed the greatest privilege of all. Though the Lord’s power was with him, he was not with the Lord.
Ques I suppose a crisis had been arrived at here in the Lord’s ministry, when His works were attributed to the devil, so that is it a question now of being with Him, different from chapter 9: 50? Our path is more distinct than ever in view of the departure and approaching apostasy of christendom.
CAC It is a great thing now to have something positive. There is a solemn warning here about being empty. It is not enough for the unclean spirit to be gone out of the house and for it to be “swept and adorned”. Very often nothing more is aimed at than getting rid of gross evils, and the result is an empty house.
Ques What does “adorned” suggest to you?
CAC It suggests the outward influence of what is of God. With regard to Israel, they were not guilty of idolatry in post-captivity days — the evil spirit of idolatry was cast out. They were very particular about the law, and services were set up. But it was an empty house. An empty house, however clean it may be, is no security. The house must be occupied; Christ and the Spirit must have Their place. If the house is unoccupied the unclean spirit can come back. He has “gone out of the man” here, not cast out, and he comes back. People get free from what is outwardly displeasing to God, but we want something positive, divine Persons having Their place with us. Peter speaks of some who “if after having escaped the pollutions of the world” are “again entangled, they are subdued by these, their last state is worse than the first” (2 Peter 2: 20). It is the solemn result of an empty house, made very nice in [p. 166] a formal way.
Rem Outward cleansing is true of christendom.
CAC It is where Protestantism stopped short. The idolatrous spirit of popery went away but there is no power in that alone. As Christ and the Spirit have Their place with us there is security. Christendom cannot keep evil out; demons are creeping in denying the inspiration of Scripture, Christ’s Person and the truth of the assembly.
Rem They have no Ark.
CAC That confirms what I am saying. The Lord Himself is the Ark of the covenant and our only security now is as He has His place with us. It is the very centre of everything in christianity; all centres in the Person of the Christ — all for man’s blessing and for God’s pleasure. “Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it”. Natural sentiment is set aside. If we hear the word of God now we shall get a great thought of Christ as the true Jonah and the true Solomon, and our whole body shall be full of light. If you bring light in you get rid of the darkness. There are many hymns that people sing sentimentally but they still walk with the world that does not care about Christ. It is a great thing now to hear the word of God; we shall thus find security from every sort of wicked spirit. John says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, if they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4: 1).
Ques What would you say was God’s “unspeakable free gift” (2 Corinthians 9: 15)?
CAC All that divine grace that had come in as embodied in Christ and known by the saints in the power of the Spirit. It is the character of the giving expressed in Christ and the Spirit. It is unspeakable; that is, infinite, and it is a free giving; that is, a giving of divine Persons — God giving His Son and His Spirit. There is an unspeakable character of it, we cannot compass it.
Ques Would you say that the truth is presented to us objectively in Christ but that the Spirit would suggest what is subjective?
[p. 167] CAC Both Christ and the Spirit are spoken of as being the truth. The Lord says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”, objectively; and “the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5: 6) subjectively in the souls of the saints. The verification of everything lies in the Spirit. When the failure came in, which was even before the apostles had gone, the remedy adopted was a falling back on the outward order. Obedience and subjection to bishops was pressed in the second century instead of exhorting to fall back on, and give place to, the Spirit. The Spirit is the security and safeguard. The bishops became like the princes of this world; there was no security there. Security is found in giving place to Christ and the Spirit. The religious world aims at having the house “swept and adorned” but there is no security in that for “the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first”. It is true of christendom in its terrible apostasy, and all because the house is empty. We may find ourselves exposed to evils that we little expect if we do not, individually, give place to Christ and the Spirit.
What wealth there is in Christ as the true Jonas. Jonas is a sign to an evil generation. Solomon stands in relation to an appreciative heart; one who would come a long way to hear him.
But the only sign God has for an evil generation is the sign of Jonas. Jonas was cast out and in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. Then, after that, he went to Nineveh and was a sign to the Ninevites. They repented at his preaching. It is a solemn thing to face the fact that man after the order of Adam has fallen and is offensive to God. He has to be cast out and completely removed from before God. The Son of man was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. We have to learn the necessity for the Son of man to go into death. It is a very solemn thing that the Son of man has come in to take up what attached to man, and there was nothing for it but that He must be dead and buried. It is a solemn impression of Christ. Everything that I am [p. 168] according to the flesh is really subject to the judgment of God. The Son of God has been into that place and has been buried. I have to learn, in the death of Christ and in His burial, my association with an evil generation. He took it up in grace — charged Himself with it. Now there is a Man living before God for His pleasure, and that is Christ — no other but Christ! Man after the order of Adam is gone in the death of Christ, absolutely removed — buried — from before God. Is that me? What a complete clearance. What do I want with religion and ordinances? Christ is the great sign of God’s intervention. Then you are ready for Solomon. Jonah brings in the Son of man in relation to a wicked generation — Christ is known in death and resurrection in connection with that generation that I belong to in flesh. What is it in view of? Solomon as King of glory. He is called Jedidiah, beloved of Jehovah. God’s eternal delight is in Christ risen and glorified. The only delight God finds in me is when He sees me cherishing thoughts of Christ. There was an appreciative heart in the queen of Sheba. She came a long journey to get into contact. She represents the Gentile; “She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon”. She was typically attracted by the report of all that God has gathered up for His pleasure in a glorified Christ. We have to take that journey and leave our own greatness and glory.
Rem The report set her in movement.
CAC The Spirit from a glorified Christ in heaven has come to report His glory that we might move that way and that there may be with us a single eye and a body full of light, luminous, not hidden away but shining for everybody.
God has taken me up to make me like a glorified Christ. The house is occupied. The eye is simple. The eye is either simple or wicked; there is no middle ground. It is simple if it is really fixed on Christ. If Christ is not the object it is a wicked eye; the wrong person is in view. A simple eye recognises that everything for God’s pleasure is in one Man, His own risen and glorified Son. God has attached us to that Man [p. 169] that His features and qualities may be reproduced in us. If it is not Christ whom we have before us it is the wrong man. “See therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness”.
Ques Would Saul’s conduct with regard to Amalek be a warning to us in that regard?
CAC The whole of Amalek was to be devoted to destruction. Saul lost everything by retaining that man. He lost his kingdom and his life.