"BEAUTY INSTEAD OF ASHES.... . "

J.R.Cumming

Isaiah 61: End of 2 & 3; Luke 24: 50-53; John 20: 19-23

I desire, beloved brethren, to say a few words which are embraced in these verses in chapter 61. It makes all the difference when the Lord comes into an occasion. It makes all the difference, dear young brother and sister and little ones with us, when the Lord comes into your life. I would like to say a word about these things that are mentioned here – beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of t he spirit of heaviness. What a change! It tells us in Isaiah 53 that when we see Him there is no beauty in Him that we should desire Him. That is you and me apart from the work of God in our souls, but we trust that most here – and I put this out as a challenge to all of us, including the little ones – have come to see the glory of Jesus in relation to the divine system of things. I think this would link on with the King in Matthew's gospel, – the glory of the King. Chapter 33 of this book says, regarding the righteous, that they shall see the King in His beauty. Oh, what a matter that is, that we should have some apprehension of the glory of the One to whom all power has been given. He has taken that position, He has been given it – all power. So what is there in our lives? Have we come from ashes, you might say, to an appreciation of the beauty in Christ? That would involve the great matter of repentance. I do not think we will get on very far in divine things unless we know consciously, have that inward knowledge in our lives, in our affections, that we have had to do with the Lord had to do with God.

There was a man called Job who was well set up and then disasters came into his life. It tells us in chapter 2 of Job that he sat among the ashes, and he sat among the ashes for another twenty eight chapters. Then the word of God came in through Elihu and then God spoke to him directly; then he says "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes", chap 42: 6. That is the effectiveness of the word of God coming into our lives, so that instead of self-righteousness we come to see the righteousness of God in Christ, we see that that Person is the One to whom all power has been given in heaven and on earth. What a manifestation there will yet be as to that! The coming day will show it. Dear young friend, make sure you have had to do with the Lord and have come to this knowledge of the fact that He has secured everything for you. Everything was lost, everything, you might say, was in the depth of despair, but Christ died for our sins, and the love of God was behind it all. So that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (see Rom 5: 8). There is something effective there so that Christ is magnified in your life. He becomes the essential object of your life. Are all of us here contributing on this line? It says at the end of Matthew's gospel, when the Lord came in, that some doubted (see Matt 28: 17). I think the work of God in us would bring us to the assurance and the stability of all that has been secured in Christ and that without any doubts.

In the next part here it says "the oil of joy instead of mourning". That would be the end of Mark's gospel. I just make that suggestion to the brethren. It tells us in that chapter of the resurrection of Christ. What a day that was, the glory of it, the One who was in death and the triumph of resurrection, and it tells us there that there were some with hardness of heart (see Mark 16: 14). Those were disciples, not people outside – unbelief! Oh, dear brother and sister, we have to move away from that kind of thing and get the confirmation and power into our souls as to what a risen Christ has effected for us. let us appreciate the vast, the immeasurable change it is when Christ comes into our lives, not only singly – which is so important – but in our gatherings. We have had a touch on that today; I think we can say we have heard the Lord's voice, the Lord coming into the occasion challenging us and yet helping us. The magnificence of the grace that is toward us and the Father's love upon us!

Now I want to associate what we read in Luke 24 with "the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness". We have been speaking about the commonwealth, our associations of life. What we come through personally merges into the company; that is the association. I am not speaking of men's associations, I am speaking about the commonwealth which is based on the death and the resurrection of Christ, t he blood-shedding there has been. The blood is the answer for everything, so that everything that is of the first man and mankind goes into the background. There was a company here to which the Lord appeared. For our encouragement, beloved brethren, I think the Lord shows us in this chapter the pattern of recovery. We are reminded of Abraham and what energized him in regard of his brother Lot. Let us get another touch into our souls. I think the Lord· would impress upon us that this is the day when there is recovery. We all long for it and pray for it; we see evidences of it, some little here, some there. I trust there are some in this place and in all the places represented. We would long to see more of it, to see God's work in recovery. The Lord in this chapter shows how you and I have to commit ourselves to this. I think our brother said that things do not happen magically or that they are mystical. Christianity is intensely practical. That is what the brethren are to learn from this chapter.

These two disappointed ones are saying, We had thought... There used to be five hundred and fifty brethren with us in this large city; we had thought it would go on right to the end. But what is remaining? What is remaining is the character of things in which God finds pleasure. In the meantime there are persons in the line of recovery looking for some little touch to come into their lives that they might, we trust, retrace their steps. The Lord shows us here the way: "Jesus”, it says, "himself drawing nigh". Oh, what a day that was for them! At the time their eyes were still holden, they did not know. Nonetheless it says, "Jesus himself drawing nigh, went with them". What a pattern that is for us as to how near we can get to persons to help them. We would desire to know the Lord's touch coming in in recovery, so that something of interest is presented to them. As to that woman in John 4, the Lord's interest in her is what aroused her affection. To think who she was, undeserving and all that kind of thing, but that blessed Man had time to speak to her. Oh, we want to cultivate these intense links in affection with persons so that no matter the outcome they would always remember not only the truth that had been placed before them – how essential that is – but a spirit of Jesus that they can never forget. That might lead to recovery. It goes on here: "And they drew near to the village where they were going, and he made as though he would go farther”. The brethren know these things well but I Just want to underline what we have had in that last reading. How it should affect us! "He made as though he would go farther"· love will never keep Him back from anything: He went that way and He made as though He would go farther. How that stirred them in their affections and recovery was secured.

Then He comes in amongst the company, and there was food there, something for Christ. That is what we are recovered to, not to please ourselves. He says, "Have ye anything here to eat?" Well, we have had a good day eating, eating spiritually, being well looked after also in the physical side of things, the saints comfortable. So we are full. When something comes in of the Spirit it would bring· home to us the glory of what we have entered upon. Oh, beloved brother and sister, let us see to it that we are contributing to that line of things. The honeycomb – working together – a broiled fish – self-judgment working amongst us. And that is for Christ "he took it" it says "and ate before them": Now here you have, as it says in Isaiah, "the heaviness". Oh, what an outcome: "he led them out as far as Bethany". What a touch that is to these brethren! They were secured for Christ and all they were concerned about was responsiveness to divine Persons. It is the temple here, but that is superseded in the beginning of the Acts as we know. It is the character here that I want to leave with the brethren, that we are taken up with what is due to divine Persons. The spirit of heaviness is dispelled as we accustom ourselves to this line of what is for God, what is for the Lord and what is for the Spirit.

It leads into John 20 because there would be a spiritual touch here as to the dignity of things. Here we walk as sons through grace. We should be maintained in the dignity of what sonship really means. I go back to chapter 61 again: "that they might be called" – that is the product of what has preceded – "terebinths of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified". I think that would link with John 20 where we have read. The world is going on its way, there is fear of the Jews and all that is antagonistic, but in the inside position there are persons who have only one thought as to what is due to the Lord and what is due to God. "Terebinths of righteousness" would remind us of this touch we have had as to the oaks of Mamre. What is established in our lives? What garment of praise instead of the spirit of is there in the way of stability?

In the Scriptures there are references to the oaks and the terebinths. The terebinths, I think, bring in the idea of fragrance and that would bring in the brothers and sisters. We do not in any way want to make classes amongst us but we want to see that what is spiritual is in the sisters as well as the brothers. There is what is audible and that would be right in the way of order, but what we want to make room for is the spirituality which the sisters contribute to every gathering, maybe more than we think, especially at the prayer meeting. Fragrance: what fragrance there was personally in Christ at all times for God – the burntoffering, the fulness of things there, a sweet odour to God. That is how everything goes up to God. But what He finds amongst the saints, what there is for God, is brought through on this line, the line of exercise. May we be preserved from casualness in regard to divine things. Our brother has been reminding us of the heritage we have in the ministry and it is all there that we should imbibe it. Not that we are to be walking dictionaries or anything like that, but we have something in formation in our souls as a result of spiritual experience. "The planting of Jehovah”: the detailed care that God has taken with every one of us wherever we are. Your place in your locality is the planting of Jehovah. Some are in small companies, none of us can say very much even in cities, but wherever it is, it is the planting of Jehovah. Let us appreciate the care that has come in in regard to that, let us respect the local companies. Let us see to it that we set ourselves for that so it is not just a secondary matter in our lives, serving the Lord in all things, and having respect for the local company. So you find that you shape your circumstances always with that in view, that the Lord's interests come first, "that he may be glorified". Well, the Lord breathed into the disciples here. I think it has been said that for a few moments these men lived in the life of another Man, "breathed into them", and it means this with you and me. As having the Holy Spirit there is to be that in our lives of the character of Christ in testimony and that will have its own effect for the glory of God. May it be so for His Name's sake.

NEW YORK

4 September 1987