THE DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE LORD JESUS
This scripture has been in my mind for some time and it was confirmed by an impression in the preaching on Lord’s day as to the distinctiveness of Jesus. It shines out here; “His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me”. The Lord Jesus is distinctive, and God operates with us to make Him more distinctive to us, so that He becomes the Object of our hearts. What is really in mind is this expression which has often been used in ministry, “the witness in the sky is firm”. It is a witness which God has set, so that what is heavenly can be taken account of on the earth. It is seen here, and that is what the testimony is. It is a heavenly witness, but it has its effect, it has its outshining, so that it can be seen here amongst men. The distinctiveness of the Lord Jesus is very much part of that, and I was struck by what was once remarked as to the Lord Himself, that in the gospels we not only see His works – that is plain – but we also see His motives shining out from time to time. That touched my heart. Think of Jesus looking on the leper, the man who was ill, and of course He healed him; that was His power. But it also tells us what was in His own heart; “Jesus, moved with compassion …”, Mark 1:41. Something rose up in His own heart, His own feelings, His own motives. What a Saviour!
And so it says, “his throne as the sun before me”; that is His place before God, and what shines out is what is to be known and seen of God. This Man has such a place in God’s affections. It is impressive to think of the place which Jesus has, that precious Man of whom God rightly thinks so very highly. And we share that place. It is wonderful that we should have such a place, not on account of our worth, but God loves us because He loves Jesus and we are clothed in His worth. What a place we have in the Father’s affections. It says, “his throne as the sun before me”; that is something which is unchangeable. This thought that God is the Same, unchangeable and unalterable, has come in already, and led me to read these words.
It goes on to say, “It shall be established for ever as the moon”. We can understand that the sun would represent the outshining of Christ from heaven from the fixed place He has, the unalterable place He has in divine arrangements. God will yet “head up all things in the Christ”, Eph.1:10. But then we need to pay attention to this; “It shall be established for ever as the moon”. What does that mean? I believe it has to do with “the witness in the sky”. It represents the assembly. I believe that is what the reference to the moon points to, and it is part of this witness. What is the witness? It is Christ and the assembly; “the witness in the sky is firm”. Beloved brethren, I have the feeling that part of the present conflict is aimed at this very thing, at what the assembly speaks of, what it is before God here at the present time. It is here because the Holy Spirit is here. We cannot say it is not here. We may fail or be feeble in our maintenance of assembly principles, and I do not make any excuses for that, but the fact is that the witness is fixed and firm, and it is set up by God. So “the witness in the sky” is the witness that God is working out in relation to Christ and the assembly. That is what should fill our hearts and it does fill our hearts as the brethren come together so regularly. What a favour it is.
It says “the witness in the sky is firm. Selah”. I would just like to carry on this thought, that there is what is fixed and immoveable and unchangeable. It has been set on, and we are part of it. One’s desire for each one of us, and for oneself first of all, is that we might be maintained as part of God’s witness which is here, maintained by Him. The fact that it says that it “is firm” would, I think, suggest that there might be attempts to unsettle it or destroy it or spoil it in the hearts of the saints, but God says ‘No, it is firm’. Let it be firm, then, beloved brethren, in our hearts. May we be encouraged for His name’s sake.
Word in a meeting for ministry, Grangemouth
4 July 2017
R. Gray
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