“IN ASSEMBLY”
I want to draw attention to the spirit in which Christians approach a meeting of assembly character. A meeting of assembly character is a very sober matter which has to be regarded with dignity and honour, because the assembly is here to represent Christ in His absence. This chapter is instruction for the time when Christ would not be here, so the representation of Him is in accordance with His mind, the dignity that belongs to Him. It is, you might say, a court of justice, the highest appeal court in the land, and there is a dignity of gathering together in assembly, distinct from all other occasions. The occasion of course where we gather together in assembly is the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis. There is a dignity attached to it and composure in all of us, which is different from our gathering in a normal setting—not that that gives us license to be other than dignified.
The first matter that the Lord draws attention to is to be in the kingdom, “enter into the kingdom of the heavens”. I think we need to be persons who have practically entered into the kingdom of the heavens, and that requires that we become as a little child. That is, it is a different kind of attitude from all that is in the world around us as seen amongst unregenerate men—the believer has to act in a different way. He is entering into the kingdom of the heavens as a little child, he is dependent upon the protection of that kingdom and the benefits and rule of that kingdom; he has no will of his own, dependent on Another, dependent on the King, the One who regulates and rules in that kingdom, and that is the Lord Jesus. That is what the Lord Jesus draws attention to here. “Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child”,—it is a remarkable word, it shows a necessity for all of us to humble ourselves, the flesh has no place in this kingdom. The Lord Jesus humbled Himself, blessed Man, for the affections of all of us. How He set out to humble Himself, becoming obedient unto death and that the death of the cross, what a Man He is for the affections! Then He says, “whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name, receives me”, that is the little child He took in their midst. Then it says, “whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me”; there is a distinction, that is one who believes; the other little child is a child who sets out certain characteristics of a little child, that it is defenceless in this world, but as entering into the kingdom of the heavens, you come into the protection of that kingdom. Here “whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me”, that is a young believer, a little one who believes in the Lord Jesus takes account of the defenceless character of a little one who believes in Him, that if anyone offend him; how seriously He views it.
In the next section, “if thy hand or foot offend thee, cut it off” (v 8)—that is a line of things that we have to deal with ourselves. As has often been pointed out, you have to deal severely with yourself, but be gracious with another. Severity attaches to myself, if there is something offending me, however much I value it, if it is offending me or hindering me from representing Christ I have to cut it off. I have to respect others. So He says, “do not despise one of these little ones”, these persons who are like Christ. He speaks about this in relation to little children, but there is a lesson in it for us all, for He says, “See that ye do not despise one of these little ones; for I say unto you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens”. There is a lesson in this for us that we have the same spirit as the Father has towards a little one. The Lord is seeking to inculcate into His disciples the spirit that was in Himself, how He comported Himself, and He would have it in us in relation to severity in ourselves in dealing with the flesh ourselves, but graciousness in dealing with weakness. I am speaking generally here in relation to the chapter bringing out the spirit the Lord would have us to have as Christians approaching an assembly meeting.
He says, “For the Son of man has come to save that which was lost”. It is not ‘to seek and to save which was lost’, but “to save that which was lost” In this setting, as I understand it, He is contemplating little children before the age of responsibility, but the whole spirit of it is to be inculcated into our hearts. The Lord would have us to take on these features that are seen in the Father who is in heaven. Then He brings out the parable, “If a certain man should have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray”; that anticipates will working, the one who goes astray. It is different from Luke 15, “What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (v 4), that is the responsibility is taken by the Man, that is Christ. That would involve the Lord going into death, He took responsibility, but here the man is not viewed as responsible. “If a certain man should have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray”; he takes on responsibility, but in the one who has gone astray, there is an evidence of will working in that one. He says, “does he not, leaving the ninety and nine on the mountains, go and seek the one that has gone astray?”—what a spirit. I think that has been seen amongst us, I think the Lord would regard us as those kind of persons; we have displayed something of what I have been speaking about. It says, “And if it should come to pass that he find it”—it is not saying for certain that he will find it, “verily I say unto you, he rejoices more because of it than because of the ninety and nine not gone astray”. That would be a great joy to our hearts.
I thought in relation to Solomon taking up the responsibilities of a king, that he takes it up in the understanding that, “l am but a little child: I know not to go out and to come in”, and so great is the people it says, “And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, to discern between good and bad”. What a spirit to approach an assembly meeting, “I am but a little child: I know not to go out and to come in”. How great is God’s people, how precious to Him—“cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart”. It is approaching the exercises of responsibility. What a spirit to mark us that we look for divine guidance, divine help and discerning, discerning between good and bad. How dignified the judicial process is as seen in the gathering together in assembly, free from any effects of the passions of the flesh, persons who are in the kingdom. Solomon was typical of the man who is in the kingdom of the heavens; he was under the rule of the heavens seeking to govern on the earth to represent God. How responsible we are to go into an assembly occasion to represent God, to represent the Lord so that things are done in a manner that reflects Himself.
May the Lord help us in this as we consider matters. I thought it was appropriate to draw attention to the spirit of the Christian as approaching an assembly meeting.
For His Name’s sake.
EDINBURGH
13th February 2001