THE COMPANY IN WHICH DIVINE IMPRESSIONS ARE TREASURED
[p. 398] THE COMPANY IN WHICH DIVINE IMPRESSIONS ARE TREASURED
What has been said in our hearing may well be made to culminate in these verses; that is why one has ventured to read them. We began with the abiding place of our Lord Jesus in our hymn, allusion being made to John’s gospel, chapter 1, verse 18 — “the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father”. That is, it is the place He has as Man; it is not who was in the bosom of the Father, but who is. And this passage in Acts 1 contemplates where the apostles abide, contemplates the rendezvous, as one might call it, of those who were loyal to Christ. As we are loyal to Christ in gathering up what is presented to us in ministry, we shall feel the necessity of the right company, for persons are needed for the conservation of the truth, and this book brings in persons; not exactly as in John, where it is a question of family status, but persons qualified to act in an official way; that is, in the sense of appointment, as we have been hearing, of being trusted with the charge, and hence the instinct in those who were loyal in regard of that. They were loyal to Christ in regard of what is presented in ministry, presented to us in an objective sense; the instinct leads us, too, to those who are loyal and who are under the charge, who have accepted obligation as to what belongs to Christ. In the end of Luke it will be recalled how two heard much from His lips, a most wonderful exposition of truth; the Lord Himself, as risen from among the dead, began at Moses and all the prophets, and expounded to those two persons the things concerning Himself. The exposition did not lead them back to Jerusalem but it entered into their journey back, and what governed them in going back, what led them to go back, was the appearing, or the making Himself known to them, of the Lord Jesus; they returned [p. 399] the same hour, and found the eleven. What they had, needed more guarding than they were capable of, and that may apply to any one of us; that what we have, as receiving the truth, requires more guarding than any one of us is capable of; it involves a sense of loyalty. And so they found the eleven; they were the bearers of the treasure. We have this treasure in earthen vessels; this treasure which robbers, so to speak, would value, and it has to be guarded. We see, for instance, in the history of Ezra how concerned he was about the treasure he carried back to Jerusalem. He was ashamed to ask the king for protection and yet he was conscious that he had something of value. And so they found the eleven; that is where the authority was — those who represented the Lord. And here these disciples, we are told, “returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the mount of Olives”. Objectively great things came before them; that is, the Lord was seen going up. Think of the impression on loyal hearts, seeing Him go up. “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall thus come in the manner in which ye have beheld him going into heaven”. What an impression! — that must not be taken away from them; it is precious. Satan would be bent on robbing us of it, and of any impression which we receive, as I have been saying, in this way; two men in white clothing instructing them: “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall thus come in the manner in which ye have beheld him going into heaven”. What an impression on all that would be: two men in white clothing; the Lord going up, and the cloud receiving Him. Never did any, perhaps, carry such a treasure into that famous city as these. The two from Emmaus carried the treasure unto, I may say, the eleven themselves. The Lord led them as far as to Bethany when He arose; He went up from Bethany, and they went on to Jerusalem. They carried unspeakable treasure into the city. The eleven went into the temple and the two went and found the eleven, and now then,
[p. 400] we are told, in the verse I read, “They returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath-day’s journey off. And when they were come into the city, they went up to the upper chamber”; that was the safe place to carry this treasure to; it was the divine treasury. That is really what is was, guarded divinely. These men were fitted, like the bars of the treasury, to shut out all attempts at robbery. These men — their names are all given — qualified, formed, educated persons; not only educated, but such fibre in them, such fibre as they possessed, to contend with the opposition of any attack on Christ, for it was a question of guarding all that pertained to that Person, who had gone up.
That is what I had before me, that we might have in mind the kind of persons we seek out, whether they are loyal to Christ and loyal to the truth; indeed, if we are loyal to Christ we will be loyal to the truth, and will be where it is guarded; it will not be guarded anywhere in Christendom, save where the Holy Spirit is, and those that are subject to Him. The fellowship is involved in this position.
And so, “when they were come into the city, they went up to the upper chamber where were staying ...” and then we have the names of the eleven apostles, every name meaning something spiritual, every name denoting the work of Christ, qualifying these men to be guardians of the truth. That is the first great point, that the truth should be guarded, and not let slip away, as in Jude later on, and mentioned here. He says, “I have been obliged to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints”, Jude 3. That is the sort of thing that is so essential, and dear brethren, it is to warn us and encourage us too as regards these precious things that come to our attention, that we might find the right company where these things are valued; where there is loyalty to Christ, and not be in other company, because it is as sure as possible,
[p. 401] if we get into company that is not loyal, that “evil communications corrupt good manners”, 1 Corinthians 15: 33. We should be most zealous as to our companionship.
“They went up to the upper chamber ... These gave themselves all with one accord to continual prayer, with several women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren”. There is no such company in the whole universe as this was then, and they have their counterpart in some little way now, at least; there is loyalty to Christ and loyalty to one another, for it is a question of that, closing the ranks, that the enemy may not get in and rob us of the precious things that the Lord has brought to us. They are to be held together in this way; all these men represent loyalty to Christ. They abode there, not only military men, but women too; especially Mary, the mother of Jesus; one who had treasure in her heart as no other person; she knew about the Lord in certain respects as no other person, and the enemy would rob us of that treasure Mary had; indeed, he has robbed us of Mary herself, as she has been made the subject of idolatry. We have been robbed of her in that sense; at least, many have been robbed of her. But we want to retain Mary in that sense in which I speak of her: one who had the greatest knowledge of Christ from His infancy on, and these impressions were to be treasured.
So should everyone who loves Christ retain the impressions, because they are common property; they belong to the assembly; they enrich the assembly, and it is incumbent upon us to treasure and care and value these things, and protect them.