MINISTRY IN LONDON
(i) Ernest Palmer
Proverbs 25: 4; Malachi 3: 3,4; 2 Timothy 2: 20
I believe, beloved, that God is operating at the present time with that which belongs to Him. We may say that everything belongs to Him, and so it does: "The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof", Ps 24: 1. But what is in mind is that which belongs to Him on account of redemption. I think it would be safe to say that it has a special place in His heart on account of the price that has been paid: redemption's price, precious blood, the blood of Jesus, of tremendous value, known fully only by God. And, beloved, each one of us is the fruit of that work. We are those who have been redeemed to God by His blood. God is operating at the present time, I believe, in a special way in regard to such persons, and those operations of His are in the fulness and definiteness of His love, not in any arbitrary way but tenderly and affectionately and, I would like to say, skilfully because everything He does is in divine skill. There is a hand that is operating that is in itself divine, and it is operating in regard to persons like ourselves, with a wonderful end in view.
These references to refining have positive results in mind. I think 2 Timothy 2 is a matter of refining, but certainly these two scriptures in the Old Testament refer to that thing specifically. So this Proverb says, "Take away the dross from the silver, and there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner". It is remarkable that it does not say, There cometh forth silver for the refiner. No, there is a vessel; that is, there is something capacitated and available for the refiner for His own use. What a wonderful thing that is! We know what the process of refining is to some little degree, that is, that the refiner puts the heat on and he tempers the material according to his own knowledge of what is before him, and the skill that lies in himself, not only in his hands. The knowledge that God has of each one of us is brought to bear upon this silver. It is the silver that He is after, not the dross. The elements that come into that category are skilfully and gradually but definitely taken away with a view to this vessel. You might say, What would He do with a silver vessel? "There cometh forth a vessel for the refiner". One thing I am sure about is that He would put something in that vessel. There is a word that says, "As apples of gold in pictures (or 'baskets' - see note) of silver" (Prov 25: 11) and that is related to a word spoken in season. As apples of gold in baskets of silver - how attractive that is! But the basket has to be there. I think it has come forth in relation to the process that God has been pleased to put the silver through, that which is available into which He can put something. What a thing it would be, would it not, to have this basket of silver and for God to put something in it of beauty and of worth, a word for Himself? Well, He is working to that end.
In Malachi the material that is being used is the children of Levi. The children of Levi were peculiarly for Jehovah. They were taken instead of the firstborn and were, so to speak, consecrated, set apart for Jehovah and His service. We know from the history of God's people what came in, and that is to be found not only in God's earthly people, for we recognise what is there in ourselves; but, nevertheless, they are not set aside. He takes pains in regard to this purifying process! He sits down to do it. I believe it is a steady, gentle, persistent service of love, but He has in view what is peculiarly for His pleasure, as it says, what is pleasant, "pleasant unto Jehovah as in the days of old". I still carry in my mind and affections, beloved, these ancient paths that the Lord spoke to us about some time ago - "as in the days of old" - and it may be that this process in regard of those who would be available in God's service is proceeding at the present time. I believe it is, but it has positive results for Himself in view. It says, "purge them as gold and silver", and the gold and silver is in mind. It is not what is purged away that is in mind. It is like the chaff and the wheat: when the threshing and the winnowing is done, it is not the chaff that is in mind but the wheat. And so it is the gold and the silver. "And they shall offer unto Jehovah an oblation in righteousness"; that is, I believe, that as we know what the oblation refers to typically, there is correspondence in those who have been under the hand of God, something that corresponds with Christ, that affords Him what is pleasant: "Then shall the oblation of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old". It is wonderful to me to think that there is something here upon earth that can be pleasant to God at the present time. I believe the Spirit kindles in our hearts, stirs something up in our hearts, so that we say, I really would like to have a part in that. Are we ready for the process? It will be done in love, whatever it is. Be assured, beloved, that it will be done in love, but what is in mind is that what is refined, spiritually refined, comes to light and it corresponds in some way with the perfection of the manhood of Jesus. And it says it is "pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years". I think that might be thought over, but in any case that is what God has in mind.
Then in 2 Timothy it speaks of "gold and silver vessels"; it also speaks of "wooden and earthen", and there they are in what professes to belong to Christ, what outwardly has the name of the Lord; they name the name of the Lord, but there they are, "gold and silver vessels ... wooden and earthen; and some to honour, and some to dishonour". Then it says, "If therefore one shall have purified himself from these, in separating himself from them" - that is from the vessels to dishonour - "he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified" - that is set apart in a holy way. The matter of 'holiness was touched over the past weekend and it is implicitly there in this word "sanctified". And then "serviceable to the “Master" - how wonderful that there should be a vessel "serviceable to the Master". What will He do with it? He will do whatever He wants to do with it. He is the Despot. That is what this word "Master" means. "Prepared for every good work". Beloved, the character of this dispensation is “good". Let us keep it firmly in our hearts: it is blessing; it is good; and there are persons who are available to God in relation to what may be ministered at such a time as we are in, a time of good - "the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4: 19) if you will. "Prepared for every good work": there is preparation. There is a process going on, and it is going on in people who have been redeemed to God by the precious blood of Christ. I venture to say, therefore, that the word might have some voice for every one of us. May it be so.
(ii) James S.Gray
Hebrews 12: 5, 6, 9-11 1 Timothy 4: 16
This section in Hebrews 12 has been in my mind since we had it before us in the family reading this morning. I was quite impressed with this statement as to the "fathers of our flesh": "For they indeed chastened for a few days". We might look back on our own experiences in this connection, but one thing in it is to bring out the great, long-term plan to which God is working. God's activities, dear brethren, are not limited to that which is "for a few days", but they are concerned with what is eternal. His gracious activities in chastening are moved by love so that what is of Himself, and so precious under His eye, might be brought in greater measure into conformity to His thoughts as set out in Christ.
We sang the hymn at the prayer meeting last night:
'Thy chosen, loved ones, ever
Kept present to Thine eye' (No.78)
Let us, beloved brethren, have a fresh sense of how constantly present to the eye of our Go d and Father each one of His chosen ones is! But He is acting in this way of correction, of chastening, so that we might be partakers of His holiness.
What I have specially in mind in linking this section with Timothy is the side of our personal responsibility, that we are to be exercised by these things. Now, I bring forward in a simple way things which have happened amongst us. Reference has been made to this before, but we have had amongst us, beloved brethren, considerable sorrow on the part of our younger brethren - (I am sure it is right that we should not be narrow in our thoughts as to God's activities among His saints, but we can judge by what comes to our knowledge in the circle with which we are particularly familiar). We have beloved brethren who have had sorrow as to their marital relationships. Sorrow has come in in relation to them, and that is a very great discipline. It seems to me that is fine thing - and I speak to myself too - as to which we should be exercised. Another thing is that we have had a serious accident to a young person . We are very thankful to God for His great mercy in that our young sister has been preserved and has been recovered and restored, but I just mention these things as examples of what, it seems to me, we should be exercised about. In this setting there is chastening with a view to profit - "he for profit". Well, the profit is to be in you and me, dear brethren. The Lord said in answer to the disciples in connection with the man in the ninth of John, "Neither has this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be manifested in him" (v 3). We are not to allow the thought that this happened because of so-and-so. Let us rather see whether we can trace the Father's hand in chastening for profit in view of eternal things, and let us be amongst those who are "exercised by it".
In Timothy we have this statement: "Give heed to thyself and to the teaching; continue in them; for doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and those that hear thee". We might think of this, in our natural minds, as a kind of selfish thought, that you are to take heed to yourself, but I think what is presented is rather that our prime responsibility is for ourselves. The truth comes to us - we had reference at the weekend to the need to be exercised as to the truth - and I might say, for example, That is exactly what we need to meet such and such a situation. But have I said, That will help me in my state towards God, in my nearness to the Holy Spirit, in my relations with the Lord Jesus? Perhaps God is speaking to me in that connection. It will help me. Let us, beloved brethren, be exercised personally as to how the truth affects us, how it affects our part in God's things and how it affects our relations with one another so that, as we do this, there is this result. It says here that we are to give heed to ourselves and to the teaching; I suppose that would involve the teaching which the beloved apostle had so extensively and laboriously set out and maintained and which he was seeking to pass on to Timothy. As we do this, it says, "thou shalt save both thyself and those that hear thee". That seems a striking thing. What the apostle sets out is that if we ourselves take up exercise as to the truth, as to our state before God, and continually allow God's word and the teaching of the Scriptures and the truth as it comes to us to apply itself to us in the way of adjustment as necessary, and setting forward and seeking increasing liberty with God, we shall save ourselves and those that hear us.
I thought of the apostle John in the Lord's bosom - perhaps it does not exactly fit in with this - but he was appealed to by someone else to ask the Lord a question in the intimate scene. According to John's gospel, one of the disciples made a sign to him to ask the Lord. One thought in that is that, because of John's nearness to the Lord, he was able to be, as it were, salvation to others because he could provide the means of access to the Lord which the other disciple evidently did not feel he had.
So I submit, beloved brethren, the advantage and blessing of seeking to be exercised in this connection so that we may be able to save not only ourselves but those that hear us. I suppose it would involve example in the way of seeking to be continually in freshness in our liberty with the Lord Jesus, and our availability to Him maintained without hindrance so that the example has an effect upon others.
Well, things come into our lives which are cause for much exercise both in our household matters and in our daily pathways. I seek to be exercised with my brethren about all these things so that we may be able to go on together and promote the furtherance of God's work. It seems to me that if we have a view of God's chastening being for profit, that is a great incentive to be exercised by it so that we might see the progress of the profit; and I think that the progress of the profit is seen in our increasing liberty in the response to God in His house and in the great privilege which is open to us in serving God as sons. That is what is connected with the chastening in Hebrews 12, that God's conduct towards us is as towards sons. He has that objective in view for us, beloved brethren, as a sculptor has the result in his eye before he starts. Our side is that we must be exercised by the things which occur so that our progress towards partaking of God's holiness is maintained and increased. May the Lord help us.
LONDON
22 January 1991