MORE FOR GOD
S.N.Chapman
I would like to say just a few words, beloved brethren, but with one desire, that there may be something more for God amongst us. We are in the time when our King is rejected - they would not have this Man to reign over them - and what can we show as persons who own allegiance to this King? We have been reminded of Peter and John: "Look on us", Acts 3: 5. Beloved, when we are around can other persons discern - I do not leave myself out - that there is one who has full allegiance to the King? There is a great need amongst us for reliability and satisfaction. May I ask each one, my own heart included, are we reliable persons as here in the testimony of God and in the fellowship? Are we really reliable and are we thoroughly satisfied where divine wisdom and divine grace and sovereignty - as we have been reminded we are refugees - has operated to extricate us from the terrible ruin and confusion?
Now Mephibosheth reminds me much of Paul; he never forgot his history as taking humble ground. We cannot take any high ground today, beloved; we have to take humble ground. This is a time of great weeping, in the fellowship and the testimony. It reminds me of Paul speaking of Timothy's tears in the second epistle to Timothy where Paul is speaking about the ruin, and responsible persons extricating themselves from vessels to dishonour. Many of us, many of you here too, have known persons walking in the testimony happily, we thought, but where are they? Not only young ones but the old ones too; where are they? Were they satisfied? Were they reliable persons? Were they kingdom men and women? A kingdom man is one with the sway of God - in his soul and who yields full allegiance to God's King - full, complete allegiance. And, beloved, the wonderful joy of the fellowship calls for true allegiance to the fellowship. Whenever we go outside to anything contrary we are bringing the fellowship into it.
Now here is Mephibosheth: he remembers his position, a dead dog: "all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king". That man is taking humble ground; and then it says of him he neither washed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes. What a sight! We are in the time of big show, beloved, this is not the time of display; we have not reached that yet, we are in sober times. Heaven is looking for humility with us; divine Persons' eyes are upon us as persons whom They have committed things to. And here is Mephibosheth in his love for the king, not only because he is king and rules, but because he had great affection for David. Do we really so love the Lord that we are prepared to look an unattractive sight amongst men but with our hearts set upon the King of glory in blessed anticipation of His coming into His rights? He will soon be coming into His rights; are we carrying ourselves testimonially in repudiating all the influences of the world around and its attraction and even its religiousness. We might find ourselves without many friends, without perhaps a telephone call from anybody for days; are our hearts set upon the glory and beauty of the King and are we truly reliable men and women and satisfied persons? We want to be satisfied Christians. Beloved sister, are you satisfied? Beloved brother, are you satisfied? Satisfied even with your brother sitting beside you? Are you satisfied with. divine selection putting this brother beside you? Beloved sister, are you satisfied with your sister beside you? In the wisdom and the sovereignty of God we are placed together; let us be happy in it. Let us in our actions and testimony justify divine grace in taking us up. How much there is in the way of excess that divine love has provided for us.
So here is a man quite content even to be misunderstood; he was even slandered. David did not rise to the position of the true David. In some scriptures he is a type of Christ but here it is that David has received information in relation to Mephibosheth. Sometimes misunderstanding comes in, beloved brethren, but here is Mephibosheth, a righteous man, a kingdom man: he is unmoved. Alas, David has not made use of what the Lord has provided, as we speak of it in the assembly, divine principles the Lord has provided in assembly matters between brother and sister and sister and sister. Divine principles require the mouth of two or three witnesses. David did not, he took what one person said. Now a witness is a person who sees and hears, not passing any opinion. Their only job is to see and hear and state the facts; there is other authority to come in and judge. That is true witness - to see and hear and state the facts. We want that in our assembly matters, just see and hear and state the facts. There is authority in the assembly to deal with the rest. But David accepted the first thing that came to him and he is saying to Mephibosheth, "I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land". We do not wish to be like David, to compromise; on no condition do we want to compromise. Stay by the facts and stay by the judgment of the assembly. The witnesses are not to have their judgment or any opinion; it is a higher authority to deliver the judgment and as good kingdom men and women we stay by t he judgment of the assembly and support it.
But here is Mephibosheth, a satisfied brother. Oh, beloved, I would love from all of our hearts that there would be something for God for the rest of our lives as the result of all that we have had in the few days that have passed. As someone has said; "For the time past is sufficient" (1 Pet 4: 3), but now there should be a moving forward. And here is a satisfied man: "Let him even take all'. Are we like that, beloved? How can he do that? On the basis of "since my lord the king is come again in peace to his own house". He can let everything go. And that is a man who is not defending his rights in any way. A brother or sister who is defending his rights is not a self-judged person. Let him take all, I am quite satisfied in other words, since my lord the king has returned to his house in peace. Now we want to have the presence of our Lord in our midst in His house, His house in peace. God is the God of peace as in all the assemblies (see 1 Cor 14: 33). We want to love one another, true brotherly love so that there will be peace and joy and satisfaction with each one. Each brother and each sister is to be satisfied, and then there will be a greater yield for the heart of divine Persons for the rest of our days we are permitted to be here. For His Name's sake.
NEW YORK
13 September 1983