KEEP THYSELF PURE
It is in mind to speak about purity. We go through the world where there is plenty to contaminate, even in the religious world: one of the great needs at the present moment is purity.
I would like to illustrate these scriptures which I have read from women in the New Testament. The first speaks about a pure conscience, which we see in the woman in John 4. The wherewithal for a pure conscience is presented in the scripture read in Hebrews 9, “how much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship the living God?” The righteous basis has been laid by which we can have a pure conscience, which is a very important thing for every believer. In John 4, which is one of the most beautiful incidents in the New Testament, we see how the Lord Jesus in His conversation with that woman presents first of all the attractiveness of what is in God’s mind in the gift of living water. He gains her confidence, and her interest in such a blessing as living water, and then He raised matters which affected her conscience. Things that were not on her conscience He raises with her, not to get her depressed or unduly occupied with her history, but to clear her history and to set her up with a pure conscience. He goes into her history as, dear brethren, He would go into every one of our histories. “Go, call thy husband, and come here.” (John 4: 16) raises the whole matter. What had not been previously on that woman’s conscience, the Lord put on her conscience to clear her conscience.
We arrive at and maintain a good conscience by self-judgment, and let us understand what self-judgment is. It is not the judgment of self to satisfy self; it is judgment of self to God’s satisfaction. The woman arrived at a pure conscience to God’s satisfaction. She said “Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done”. She did not say, Come see a man to whom I told all things I had ever done. That would have been to her satisfaction, but she said “Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done”. She knew that everything was cleared, everything was out, because He had undertaken it. Self-judgment is not judgment of self to satisfy self. Self-judgment is judgment to God’s satisfaction. The woman saw herself as the Lord saw her. Self-judgment involved that we see ourselves as God sees us.
That is how we arrive at a pure conscience and how we maintain a pure conscience: “purify your conscience from dead works to worship the living God?”. Did not that matter of the worship of God come into the conversation with the woman? “The Father seeks such as his worshippers”. Who would such be? They would at least be persons who had a pure conscience, who saw themselves as God saw them with everything cleared to God’s satisfaction. How that is needed at the present moment! I believe that all the difficulties that arise and continue among us are due to the lack of self-judgment, having judgment of ourselves to God’s satisfaction. It is elementary, but it is most important to have and maintain. Hebrews 4 indicates the process of this judgment: “For the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than a two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It is a very inward process. “And there is not a creature unapparent before him”. The word of God brings us to Him; “but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do, Heb 2: 12, 13. We have to see ourselves as God sees us.
It has often been said, and it is very true, that the most difficult person for me to judge is myself. I have known men who had a pretty good judgment of everybody else except themselves. It is easier to judge others than to judge self. We tend to be easy on self. The woman said “Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done” she had come under the scrutiny of the Lord and everything was clear to His satisfaction. May this be true of everyone of us.
If we had and maintained this pure conscience what a wonderful company we would be. Such persons would be in unity, would see eye to eye, have the same judgment as God has. May it become attractive to everyone of us! It becomes attractive as seen in that woman. She went out in testimony to the very men whom she would likely know and who would likely know her. Her testimony was effective for they came to know the Lord for themselves. They believed not only because of her word, but because they had come to the Lord themselves. True testimony would result from persons who have this pure conscience.
Now there is a pure heart, and that relates to the affections. In 2 Timothy it says “with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”. Paul writes to the Corinthians and addresses them as those who call on the name of the Lord, but in times of public ruin, such as we are in and which 2 Timothy visualises, Paul adds “out of a pure heart.” I believe we see the pure heart in the woman in Luke 7. Jesus was invited to the Pharisee’s house and no doubt felt the cold atmosphere, but she brought the warmth of affection that the Lord appreciated. He did not find it in the Pharisee. He does not find it in mere profession, He finds responsive affection in pure hearts. She was a woman in the city, publicly known as a sinner, but she gave herself in response to the Lord Jesus. She washed His feet with tears, wiped them with the hairs of her head. It was herself fully committed with a pure heart in response to the Lord Jesus. She was one who loved much; she had a pure heart. Think of that house, the coldness, the indifference of it; so it is with mere profession today. How the Lord Jesus values persons who have a pure heart! - “pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. May we all be concerned, dear brethren, to have this simple reality of purity of affection for our Lord Jesus Christ.
How important is attachment to the Lord Jesus with a pure heart as that woman was. The Lord said to her, “Thy faith has saved thee, go in peace”, Luke 7: 50. She is not named. Her name could have been Faith or Peace but whatever her name was—the Lord said of her, “Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.’’ The Lord said also, “Her many sins are forgiven; for she loved much; How he values a pure heart! The bridegroom says “my love, my dove, mine undefiled”, Song of Songs 5: 2. You can see it in principle in that woman, not long on the Christian way, but in reality with a pure heart. May we continue in simplicity, dear brethren, with purity of affection for the Lord Jesus Christ!
In 2 Peter we have a pure mind. In his first epistle Peter speaks about the pure mental milk of the word; “as new-born babes desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word”, 1 Pet 2: 2. That, dear brethren, is to feed our minds. Our minds need food. If our minds do not feed on pure food our minds will be contaminated. Our minds are always occupied with something. I suppose the most important faculty a believer has is his mind. What kind of food do we provide for our minds? In the world around us there is abundance of food for the mind, but we need to be delivered from all such food and value the pure mental milk of the word. We need to feed on pure food to maintain a pure mind. The pure mind is illustrated in Mary of Bethany; “Mary ... having sat down at the feet of Jesus was listening to his word”, Luke 10: 39. She was feeding on pure food which would build up and maintain a pure mind. Our minds, I emphasise, need food. We are always thinking of something, the mind never inactive when we are awake. The responsibility is in each one of us as to what kind of food we provide for our minds. There is an abundance of pure food in the scriptures which would build up and maintain a pure mind. When we think of all the contamination in the world around us, how valuable is pure food! The ministry that we value is pure food.
I am not so sure about literature that is sometimes attractive to our young people. It may be more readable than the ministries that we value, but I can commend to everyone here the pure food of the ministries that the Lord has been pleased to give us in abundance in the recovery of the truth. Our brother referred to about 200 volumes. Is that not sufficient for us? Do we want any else? The mind needs food, and there is enough in the scriptures and ministry which has been accredited and the ministry which the Lord is giving currently. Mary of Bethany as a result of feeding on pure food became affectionate, but also intelligent. The Lord said, “Suffer her to have kept this for the day of my preparation for burial”. The Lord had taught His disciples about the Son of man suffering, going into death and rising again but they were not sufficiently interested. They understood not the saying; they did not follow it up; they were not interested in the suffering side; but Mary of Bethany is accredited with having understood what the Lord was saying in that time. We ought to be in the current mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not come about without feeding our minds with pure food which is available in abundance for every one of us. May we be concerned, dear brethren, to have a pure mind! Think of what it means for the Lord Jesus to have persons here who have a pure mind to whom He can communicate what His mind is at any given moment. We read in 1 Corinthians 2: 16 “But we have the mind of Christ.” By means of having the Holy Spirit we have the wherewithal—I hesitate to say it—to think as the Lord Jesus Himself thinks. What capacity we have in the spirit of our minds!
In 1 Timothy—a very interesting scripture—we have “Keep thyself pure”. We say this sometimes to young people and, of course, it applies to young people. How important it is to keep themselves pure, to keep their bodies pure! I am not minimising the importance of this word to young people, but the context would indicate it is not only for young people. The writer says, “I testify before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels”—how solemn he is in his testimony—“that thou keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing by favour”. This keeping thyself pure is being without prejudice. Young people can have prejudice, but so can older ones. Prejudice and preference are two matters to which we are all susceptible: “keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing by favour.” These two matters of prejudice and preference are often what hinders us in knowing what the mind of the Lord is. Then he says, “Lay hands quickly on no man, nor partake in others’ sins.” Then verse 23 is obviously a parenthesis; “Keep thyself pure. Drink no longer only water, but use a little wine on account of thy stomach and thy frequent illnesses.” Verse 24 obviously links with verse 22; “Lay hands quickly on no man, nor partake in others’ sins”, verse 24; “Of some men the sins are manifest beforehand, going before to judgment, and some also they follow after.” In between, there comes, verse 23; “Keep thyself pure.” I believe the emphasis is, keep thyself from wrong influence. This applies not only to young people, but applies to elderly ones too. “Lay hands quickly on no man”; do not commit yourself too quickly. Keep thyself from wrong influence. We are all susceptible to wrong influence. This was written to Timothy and he is mentioned in this epistle as having youth—“Let no one despise thy youth”—for he would be younger than some of his contemporaries, but he was to have moral power and authority.
There were at least seven kings of Judah who were good kings, helped of God, some in a remarkable way, but they failed when they were old. This is a word, therefore, for those of us who are older. Beginning with Solomon, what a bright start he had! What a wonderful king he was! He had wisdom, given of God. What happened to him when he was older? He took 700 wives. That was not very wise, was it? They influenced him; they turned his heart at the end of his life. We need to keep ourselves pure when we are old. “Keep thyself pure. Drink no longer only water, but use a little wine on account of thy stomach and thy frequent illnesses.” If we get weak in body, old and feeble, we are more liable to be wrongly influenced. It seems to me that this verse 23 comes in in that context. Then Asa, a good king who was greatly helped, was characterised by dependence on God, but at the end of his life he ceased to depend on God, but depended on the king of Syria for help. Jehoshaphat was a commendable man in many ways, but he made alliance with the ungodly. Joash, another good king, began as a young man and while Jehoiada the priest was alive—when under right influence—he was commendable and helped of God. Jehoiada died and Joash began to be wrongly influenced by princes. Uzziah was marvellously helped, but later he presumed to take up matters for which he was not qualified and became a leper. Hezekiah began a wonderful recovery in his time and was a pious king, but later he succumbed to the flattery of the men of Babylon. Josiah was a great man who set on a great passover; there was no such passover since the time of Samuel. Think of the help Josiah received from God. Then what happened to him? He tried to interfere in a matter that was not his responsibility. Dear elder brethren, Keep thyself pure. Brothers and sisters, Keep thyself pure. It is a word for all of us.
We are rightly concerned about our young people. I am a little more concerned about elderly ones who know the truth, have taught us and instead of uniting they tend to divide the brethren. That is a greater concern. We may have been greatly helped when we were younger—I am addressing older ones, and I am one of them—but let us continue in humility and dependence, and keep ourselves pure. Nehemiah consulted with himself. David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God, the God he knew. Nehemiah had intimacy with God, he often appeal to God. He is in touch with God. In consulting with himself he would be acquiring the mind of God. I have no doubt Mary of Magdala in John 20 was keeping herself pure. She had one object to the exclusion of all else.
Dear brethren that is all I have to say. I say to young people and to older ones, keep thyself pure for the Lord’s own sake. Amen.
PLAINFIELD
29th May 1989
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THE PRESENCE OF GOD
I wish to speak of the presence of God, because it is in the presence of God that we find our true measure. We may pass muster among men, and among our brethren, but our real true measure is found in the presence of God. These scriptures will give us some idea of the results of being in the presence of God. Because of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ there is access for the believer into the immediate presence of God. We need to make use of that access, and to become accustomed to be before God, to be in His presence. Being consciously in the presence of God will have some results with us, which these scriptures show.
Job had much to say, but the effect of being in God’s presence was that he repented. He goes on chapter after chapter; he is able to answer all his friends, and many of the things they say are right, but Job was thinking of himself, as we all do naturally. He said, “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear”—like us all; we have all heard of God, “but now mine eye seeth thee”. That means he is conscious of being in God’s presence. The result is, he has a thorough judgment of himself. Only as in the presence of God do we have a thorough judgment of ourselves. Job had a judgment of all his friends, and all his friends had a judgment of him; but he did not have a judgment of himself. It is easier to judge others, and maybe judge rightly, but more difficult to have a judgment of ourselves. It is possible as we are conscious of being in the presence of God, as Job said, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”. That was his true measure in the presence of God. He said, “I know that thou canst do everything, and that thou canst be hindered in no thought of thine”. He goes on to say, “therefore have I uttered what I did not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not”. This was the result of all the questions that God asked Job in the preceding chapters. Elihu speaks and, following Elihu’s word, God speaks. We read in Hebrews 4, “the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword”. The word of God is what exposes, exposes us to ourselves, for the most difficult person to judge is self. The word of God was living and operative as expressed by Elihu; it silenced Job. Then God came in. The word of God leads to God. “The word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. Then it says, “And there is not a creature unapparent before him; but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do”. The word of God leads us, if it is rightly apprehended, into the presence of God; that was Job’s experience.
The word of God in Hebrews supposes an honest and good heart. The word of God has to go beyond our heads into our hearts. The Lord spoke in the parable of the sower of four kinds of ground; only the last kind of ground yielded fruit. According to Luke’s account, Luke 8, the Lord said, “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8: 11), and the seed only develops in the good ground, and the good ground, the Lord says, is the “honest and good heart”, v 15. We need honest and good hearts to be affected by the word of God. The word of God is living and operative. The seed is living and operative as it falls into good ground. If it falls by the wayside, the birds of the heaven devour it; if it falls amidst thorns, other things choke it; if it falls on stony ground there is no depth of earth, no depth, the result is merely superficial. We can be superficial when the word of God comes, but the good ground is opened up, there has been the work of God, and soul exercise, and the seed falls in and produces fruit to perfection, the Lord says, The good ground is the honest and good heart. So, “The word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit”. It is an inward operation, “both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. The good ground applies not only in the preaching of the gospel, but it applies to what kind of soil we have when any prophetic word of God comes to us, whether it is resultful or whether it is not. Only on the good ground will the seed produce fruit, because the word is allowed its scope inwardly to “the division of soul and spirit”, and “thoughts and intents”; it is the inward working of the word of God.
Job experienced that “all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do”. Being in the presence of God will help us to judge ourselves. What an important thing it is! We need to repent initially, but to be maintained as repenting sinners. There are repenting sinners and unrepenting sinners. May we be repenting sinners; not only to be those who repented some years ago, or some months ago, but continuing in this repenting attitude. Job said, “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee”. He is face to face with God. There is nothing more important for the believer than to be maintained in a self-judged attitude. With such persons Satan gets no advantage; if we are not self-judged he will get an advantage, and exploit it to the full. But, “now mine eye seeth thee—Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”. Self-judgment is necessary to be maintained in communion. To be maintained in communion we need continually to judge ourselves in the presence of God. He will, if we allow Him, expose to us all that is working inwardly.
In Psalm 73 the psalmist goes into the presence of God to understand. This psalmist, Asaph, had part in the singing in the service of God and he wonders, ‘Is it worthwhile being exercised? Is it worthwhile continuing in self-judgment? Is it worthwhile washing my hands and purifying my heart? People around seem quite happy, seem to prosper’. Do you ever think that way? Do you, ever get unhappy or disappointed because there are exercises among the brethren, or problems or difficulties; do you wonder if it is worthwhile continuing? That is what the psalmist says here, in principle, ‘Is it worthwhile going on with this exercise, all this labour, to keep in separation and purity of heart?’ He questions it, “Until I went into the sanctuaries of God”. In the presence of God he can see it is well worthwhile, because he understood; “Until I went into the sanctuaries of God; then understood I their end”—“then understood I”. O for understanding at the present time! Where do I get understanding? I get it from the Scriptures; reading ministry; I get it in the presence of God. “Until I went into the sanctuaries”—to see things as God sees them. The psalmist in the sanctuary, in the presence of God, saw things as God saw them, from God’s point of view.
In small circumstances, in limited conditions, is it worthwhile continuing, so much responsibility falling upon us? If we get into the presence of God we will get God’s view. God’s appreciation of persons who desire to keep themselves in purity, keep themselves in exercise, keep themselves for the pleasure of God, even in small and difficult circumstances. Things are difficult at the present time. There is public confusion, fragmentary conditions, few in some localities; is it worthwhile going on? If we are in the presence of God we will get God’s view of things. Think of God looking down and seeing a few in a locality seeking to preserve in the place what is suitable to Him. What a value it has in God’s sight! Where do they get that view? They get it in the presence of God—“Until I went into the sanctuaries of God; then understood I”; he understood. There is no more question of whether or not it is worthwhile going through exercises and difficulties; he has all the confirmation and understanding he needs whatever the situation may be.
In Hebrews 4 there is the throne of grace, “Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace”. It is wonderful to think that in a day like this there is the throne of grace. Some of us are reading Revelation; out of the throne will come lightnings and thunders, and judgment follows, Rev 4: 5. These things are going to come from the throne very soon, when the assembly’s sojourn here is completed and the Lord takes the saints to be with Him. In the meantime it is the throne of grace. God’s present attitude is grace, and help is available from the throne of grace. The throne suggests something firmly established; nothing will overthrow the throne of grace—“Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace for seasonable help”. Some seasons are more difficult than others. We have seasons of real difficulty sometimes. What is our resort? Our resort is to the throne of grace, the presence of God, where God’s grace and God’s mercy are available. It may please God to answer our prayers in mercy and extricate us; or it may please God to sustain us in the circumstances. It says, “Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy”. Mercy would extricate us, would deliver us, but then, “and find grace for seasonable help”; grace would sustain us in the circumstances. Whether it is mercy or grace needed, it is available at the throne of grace.
Then there is the priest, “a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God … For we have not a high priest not able to sympathise with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart”. The throne of grace means that we approach God; it is God whom we approach at the throne of grace, but there is there the Priest with all His sympathy, His intercession; He ever lives to intercede. We might say there is a divine system established that nothing can shake, available to us at any moment, no matter what season it is, “for seasonable help”. We need help in some seasons more than in others; the throne of grace is always available. What a resort that is, what an encouragement for us; the throne of grace is established and nothing can shake it. The throne of grace and of divine favour is established and available; mercy and grace, whatever is needed at any moment, are available in the presence of God.
In chapter 10 we have, “boldness for entering”, and this is into the presence of God, to contemplate. Job was in the presence of God to judge himself; Asaph in Psalm 73 was in the presence of God to understand. The throne of grace is for seasonable help in all the circumstances through which we pass, and in chapter 10 we have entering into the presence of God to contemplate, to be restful. In the holy of holies in the book of Exodus there was only one article of furniture, and that was the ark. In the holiest, who is there? Christ is there; Christ as Man. What a privilege it is to get apart from all that is around! It is available to individuals, just to sit quietly to contemplate, contemplate Jesus as a Man, to come to an appreciation of Him in measure as God appreciates Him. The Lord requests at the end of John 17, “that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them”, John 17: 26. How is that arrived at? One way is by going into the holiest and contemplating Jesus. What a blessed contemplation is the One who occupies the heart of God; the One on whom God could open the heavens and say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”, Matt 17: 5. He is now in the presence of God, highly exalted, and He is the One who is available for our contemplation.
So it says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness”. The boldness comes from the teaching earlier in the chapter regarding the sanctified. It says, “by which will”, that is, God’s will, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10: 10); then, in verse 12, “But he, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down in perpetuity at the right hand of God”, “For by one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified”, v 14. The understanding and appreciation of this will give us boldness to go into the holy of holies to contemplate. How we would grow in our knowledge of God, and in our appreciation of the Lord Jesus, by spending more time in this contemplation! It says, “the new and living way which he has dedicated for us through the veil”; that is, the Lord as Man has gone in, “through the veil, that is, his flesh”; that was His death for the removal of any hindrance, “and having a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, sprinkled as to our hearts from a wicked conscience, and washed as to our body with pure water”. No doubt “sprinkled as to our hearts from a wicked conscience, and washed as to our body with pure water” is a reference to the consecration of the priests in Leviticus 8, in other words, the sanctified.
All this gives boldness to persons who are real, who have been in the presence of God and judged themselves, who have understanding according to Psalm 73, and who have received seasonable help, who can be restful. What a wonderful privilege we have, dear brethren, to enter the holiest just to contemplate the Man Christ Jesus, and grow in affection for Him, in appreciation of Him, in measure to appreciate the Lord Jesus as the Father Himself appreciates Him, to love Him as the Father loves Him! How much is growth needed in our souls in this direction! This is how it comes about. Then the result is, “Let us hold fast the confession of the hope unwavering, for he is faithful who has promised”, and, “let us consider one another for provoking to love and good works”. This is not provoking to get the worst out of one another; it is provoking to get the best, “provoking to love and good works”. Then he says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together”. This shows how entering the holiest is individual, because it goes on to speak about “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together”. Persons who frequent the holiest, who grow in this appreciation of our Lord Jesus Christ, come together. What wonderful times they would have! They provoke each other to love and good works; then they assemble together. Let us consider one another; there is plenty of room in our localities for considering one another. We do consider ourselves, but the effect of taking advantage of our privilege and frequenting the holiest would be in considering one another for provoking to love and good works, and encouraging one another. It comes down to small numbers, comes down to two, “one another”. Let us encourage one another on this basis; if we are more than two there is so much the more need for this, to provoke one another to good works; to consider one another and encourage one another.
May the Lord encourage us to see the great value of the presence of God—which is available to every one of us at any time. We value the meetings we are able to have, but let this be basic to all our activities; being consciously more and more in the presence of God, for His own glory.
SYDNEY
8th October 1989
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