COMPLETION OF DIVINE SERVICE
COMPLETION OF DIVINE SERVICE
JT From the facts before us in Holy Scripture, it will be seen that the completion of divine service was in the teaching of the apostle Paul. That was in mind to begin with, and one thought that these verses would indicate what the service of God implies. The passage already quoted here in prayer from Philippians 3: 3 helps, too, “We are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh”. Man’s way is to be disregarded, for however embellished and ancient, it is man’s way. I was thinking that whilst Paul’s ministry had been rightly touched on — for this undoubtedly is his epistle, it bears the character of being his — the service of God was not clearly inaugurated as we have it now. The scripture would indicate it now. It was not indicated at the beginning of Christianity nor is it clear that the idea of the Lord’s supper was primarily attached to it at the outset. It takes years to develop the truth of the service of God and we have it now indicated in the Scriptures which they did not have at the beginning. The New Testament did not exist when the Spirit of God came, sent down from heaven, and wrought in the apostles. It says of the converts on the day of Pentecost, “They persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers”, Acts 2: 42. But there is no evidence that there was any great distinction of formula which marked the times although the Spirit of God was there and there was worship, of course. There were priests, they praised God, they served Him, indeed the apostles entered into the temple, “and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God”, Luke 24: 53. The temple was there and recognised, for so much had to be taught so that the saints should be delivered from man’s way. Then the temple had to be discarded. The Lord said, “Not a stone shall be left here upon a stone which shall not be thrown down”, Matthew 24: 2. That was to make way for the new structure, the spiritual structure as it is said in 2 Corinthians 6: 16. “Ye are the living God’s temple”. The Corinthian saints were said to be that by Paul. It would be, no doubt, he who wrote this epistle to the Hebrews, in which much is unfolded which rightly enters into the service of God.
So it is that these verses would help us as we look at them. Verse 10 reads, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things”, that is God, “in bringing many sons to glory, to make perfect the leader of their salvation through sufferings”. Then we have verse 11 alluding to our sanctification. “For both he that sanctifies and those sanctified” — that is the saints, ourselves, all the saints — “are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name” — that is the Son speaking to the Father, “I will declare thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly will I sing thy praises”. It seems as if we may find here the service. Whilst the Lord’s supper is not included it is clear that it was included in the service as the truth was opened up, for the Spirit of God tells us through Luke that the saints came together the first day of the week to break bread; Acts 20: 7. They broke bread in the houses in chapter 2, meaning the ordinary dwellings of the saints as over against the temple. It does not appear that the Lord’s supper was ever celebrated in the temple. There is no evidence that it was. But in Acts 20 it had acquired a place on the first day of the week, and the other elements of divine [p. 68] service would also take place then, for the day would be suitable, the day the Lord rose from the dead. It is called the Lord’s day, and we have a similar expression, the Lord’s supper. The Father has given all things into the hands of the Son, so we may be sure the service of God is in His hands. The Lord’s supper is first in the order of it, and praise to Him, and then to the Father, to God. That is what was in my mind. I think the Lord would encourage us as to the service of God and confirm us in certain features that have come into evidence through the ministry that the Spirit has given.
Rem Psalm 22 would support what you have said. That is the source of the quotation in Hebrews 2.
JT It is. It shows how, as we might expect in this epistle, the book of Psalms had a place in the service of God from the outset. It shows how the book of Psalms was contributory to the service of God as we have it.
GG Would you say the Lord’s supper is the great hinge-pin on which the work of God stands?
JT That is what I understand, although it is not clear that it had acquired that place at the start. But the apostles are appealed to, alluded to, as the authoritative persons, not Moses but the apostles. The converts, especially on the first day of Peter’s service of preaching at Pentecost, the apostles were alluded to at once as the authority and not Moses or David. “They persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers”. So it would look as if there was in the minds generally the idea of breaking of bread and prayers. The word in Philippians 3 is intended for public worship, that is what we have now in our services. The worship of God took form as a public matter, as the Lord’s supper has taken form as a public matter. The order in which things are to appear in the service is generally a matter of instruction [p. 69] and the Lord has been for years instructing His people through the apostles’ teaching. Things took form by the apostles’ instruction, but more recently on the principle of gift. The Lord has ascended and given gifts to men; Ephesians 4: 8. The idea of service took form. What we have now is authoritative.
Ques As having come in recently, about a hundred years ago?
JT I go back to Paul. Paul distinguishes between the place of breaking bread and the houses, “Have ye not then houses for eating and drinking?” (1 Corinthians 11: 22). The truth gradually becomes clear from year to year, from day to day. Breaking bread in the houses would mean that the Spirit of God had diverted the saints from Judaism. He was delivering them from it. This epistle is intended to deliver them from it.
GG So what came before us this morning in 1 Corinthians 11: 23, “For I received from the Lord” is a very special point in the development of this matter.
JT That is good. That is subsequent to what the apostles had in Acts 2. Paul’s message from the Lord had some things spoken of in the gospels, and added something else to what the gospels had. So there was a gradual adjustment in that nothing was given up which had been held but teaching gradually modified things.
GG It seems a great matter we should be livingly connected with what is authoritative. It is carried over from Luke where apostles are mentioned, and now Paul received this special word from the Lord.
JT It helps us as to the whole of Scripture. “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”, 2 Timothy 3: 16. That would enter into the latter phase — instruction in righteousness. So that Paul’s exclusive message [p. 70] from the Lord for the brethren, especially the Corinthian brethren, would be the last word as to the Lord’s supper, and helps us to see that the apostolic teaching is the last word in all matters. Whatever is found in apostolic teaching should be the final word in matters.
GG It is a vital matter. It produces great stability in what is pleasing to the Lord and thus enters into God’s service.
JT One would be glad if the brethren would be free to say what they think about it, for unity should be with us. Paul says, “thus I ordain in all the assemblies”, 1 Corinthians 7: 17. There should be a unified teaching and learning. “They shall be all taught of God”, John 6: 45. God teaches according to what is true, not diversely from Himself.
Rem You base what you do in the morning meeting on the words of the apostle, rather than Old Testament scriptures?
JT Yes, but the Old Testament scriptures afford much that is not found in the New Testament, especially in the Psalms. This Psalm quoted here in verse 12 is the 22nd. Undoubtedly the book of Psalms, divided into five books, was intended to fit into the service of God as it was then. David was employed to arrange the Psalms in view of the service of God. We have singing referred to here. So we should be very cautious against eliminating anything in the Old Testament. All Scripture is for instruction. When we come to what is final, Paul says it was given to him to complete the word of God; Colossians 1: 25. Therefore whatever deals with discipline, we should see from Scripture what confirms us in regard to discipline, and so in regard to the service of God.
Rem Many sons being brought to glory is consequent upon the Lord taking His place amongst His brethren.
JT It is intended by the writer of this epistle [p. 71] to stress that God is the Author of everything. The economy into which He has come, is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God “is over all, and through all, and in us all”, Ephesians 4: 6. So what is written is for us from God. Everything has been placed in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is said, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand”, John 3: 35. The whole service is under Him, as this epistle says, He is Minister of the sanctuary; chapter 8: 2. The service relating to God is under Christ. So this verse 10 would be under Him as Minister of the sanctuary. God is bringing many sons to glory, so that it became God to make the Leader perfect through sufferings. So that the Lord is therefore before us in God’s service as the Sufferer, not in any sense imperfect at any time but He has attained to a certain condition, reached through sufferings, which was due to God; redemption had to be wrought out, so things are set on a sure foundation. Hence God is the Author of His service, He is the One to be served, so sonship comes in in the service. But verse 11 is the Sanctifier. Christ is our Sanctifier. The One who is said to be the Leader or Captain is the Sanctifier in verse 11. In verse 12 He is the Singer in the assembly. So the order can be easily pieced in. We include the Lord’s supper, the Sanctifier, the brethren, Christ’s own part in it and then the assembly, the Lord Himself being the Singer in it, and God Himself being the Object of the whole service.
Rem There is a great deal in Hebrews about the service.
JT It is a great epistle for contribution to the service.
Rem The service is divine and the order divinely provided for.
JT The order in which the service comes before God [p. 72] now.
Ques Had you in mind to say a word about that?
JT I have already indicated it. The Lord’s supper is first. “We being assembled”, Luke says, by the Spirit of God, ‘we’ meaning the saints.
Ques How does the Lord have His place afterwards, helping in the service?
JT It is to bring into position the general facts that the Lord had done much before He went up to heaven, but there is more to be done. He says, “He that believes on me, the works which I do shall he do also, and he shall do greater than these, because I go to the Father” (John 14: 12) — because He went to the Father and because the Spirit should come. So there were forty days after His resurrection, which forty days were needed to prepare for the Spirit. It was intended that what the Lord had done should be seen in its perfection. Forty days’ work was to be seen in its perfection, but it could not be completed until the Holy Spirit came. So the forty days were needed and we can see what is related, the brethren were progressing in what they were doing. At the time of the Lord’s own death, and after He was raised they were very crude because they were unbelieving. He upbraided them with their unbelief. The Lord had to adjust them and He did before He went up. But they soon came into knowing how to do things and He intended that should be known. So we are told first of all what happened after the Lord went up to heaven. He went up from the mount of Olives according to Acts, from Bethany according to Luke, but Acts is that the spiritual side is to come into evidence, so they came from the mount of Olives and went to the upper room, meaning that from the very outset Judaism was superseded, for the representatives of the Lord were said to be resident in the upper room, and the Lord’s mother was there, and several brethren, and Peter stood up in the midst [p. 73] of them. We are told how many there were. It is a question of their names. Peter stood up and related what had happened to Judas in a most orderly way, and it was settled that two should be nominated so that the twelfth place should be filled. The Lord left it with them undoubtedly to bring out what was there, His own work in them. So Peter related, it was needful that of the men who had been with them, “who have assembled with us all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us”, one should be a witness, showing that they were growing in the use of language. All that indicates there was growth in the brethren before the Holy Spirit came down, which is an important fact. So they nominated two and Matthias was selected. On the principle of lot the matter was put into God’s hands, and the lot was used “and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles”. I am only mentioning all that because I think it is necessary to get it in our minds to get our subject before us. The matter was settled as to apostleship and ten days elapsed before the Spirit came down. Then we have Peter’s address and the statement that the converts, about three thousand, “persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers”.
Rem They are an intelligent company in the upper room instructed in the use of words. It is remarkable they should be instructed in right words in the service of God. Were you going to lead on from that point where they break bread from house to house? Paul led them further.
JT The idea of the service of God was there but it waited perfection in Paul’s ministry. The Lord intended Paul’s teaching to be our standing.
Rem The Lord is to have His place after the breaking of bread. Would the service be greater if He were given His place, before leading to the Father?
JT [p. 74] That is what has come now. I would like to hear what the brethren have to say.
Rem This word ‘again’ linking the scriptures together in verse 13, does that denote the way divine teaching is used to open up the service of God? You have spoken of the need of teaching.
JT Quite. If you visualise how it would be amongst the Jewish disciples when this epistle was written, you can see how each addition was needed. Many things in this epistle were not said at all before as far as we know, especially the ministry of the sanctuary. In chapter 8 summing up the previous part, the writer says, “Now a summary of the things of which we are speaking is, We have such a one high priest who has sat down on the right hand of the throne of the greatness in the heavens; minister of the holy places and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord has pitched, and not man”. Now this is alluding to the service of God and what form it would take now Christ has gone into heaven. What they had been at Jerusalem, well, we can gather, but now we are clearly presented with new ministry and a new Minister, and a Priest who inaugurated it all and sustains it all and is carrying it on day by day, week by week.
Ques Is that why Paul’s ministry is especially for us?
JT It is he who takes a lead in his writings in all these matters, especially Corinthians alongside Hebrews. The epistles to the Corinthians are the fullest and most elaborate and defined as applying to Gentiles. The writing to Corinth is in view of Gentiles coming into the truth. Hebrews is largely derived from the Old Testament but made intelligible to us so as to be understood. The Church of England has its terminology. We need to get our terminology from Paul. He deals with the people of God as children. He begins at the bottom and that is an [p. 75] advantage to us that he does. We can put ourselves in the position of children; we can follow his way.
GG That is a very encouraging matter and particularly in the light of the epistle we are considering, for if we have this new Priest and the true tabernacle and the new sanctuary, we should be concerned to come in as new worshippers intelligently. I should like to ask, referring to what is fundamental, whether the long discourse of Paul in Acts 20 might be taken to cover his ministry which would lead to conditions where we can rightly take the Supper.
JT The absence of facts as to the discourse is all the more to be noticed. It must have been something he had spoken of elsewhere and now saw the need of putting before the saints in that particular place, though possibly making Ephesus the centre of it. What happened at Troas seems to link on with the whole chapter. They are taken up as representing the whole assembly. Now Paul says to the Ephesian elders, “And now I commit you to God, and to the word of his grace”. He opens up what he had taught them at Ephesus, and undoubtedly the record at Troas is to govern the assembly at that time, and is prophetic in view of the long history in the middle ages, and leads to revival in our own time.
GG You are referring to Ephesus, that is confirming, I think.
JT It was a question of God. They brought away the boy alive, that was after Paul’s discourse, and after they broke bread. So they are left with his discourse and the boy. The discourse would be what would develop from the Scriptures, but we must have the living boy. That is a person who can be built up and made a man of. “Until we all arrive at ... the full-grown man”, Ephesians 4: 13. One feels we are in the midst of a revival. Many amongst us have been speaking about it all our lives, it is about a hundred and fifty years old and is running on yet and will do [p. 76] to the end. It is representative of the idea connected with Paul, but it is continuing. It is a revival of things.
Rem It is maturing and will continue.
JT It is hoped therefore by exhortation and example to keep the saints going.
Rem Would this epistle help that?
JT Very beautifully. The quotations from the Psalms so beautifully refer to Christ. One has designated the book of Hebrews ‘The Book of the Open Heavens’. The Son of man is in heaven.
Rem The service is dependent on the perfect Leader and the perfect ministry, so that it should be a perfect service.
JT So in Hebrews we arrive at perfection because it is a divine Person. So “God having spoken in many parts and in many ways formerly to the fathers in the prophets, at the end of these days has spoken to us in the person of the Son” (Hebrews 1: 1, 2) brings down the service to the present time. It is God in that Person, that Person being divine, He has the last word in everything. So the whole chapter relates to His Person. He honours His people by quoting their sayings and all tending to exalt Christ. The book brings out the glories of Christ, especially in relation to the service of God.
GG How does the matter of salvation come in? “Their salvation”, what is the bearing of that?
JT Anything they needed to be saved from. At that time it was Judaism.
Rem Anything that hinders the service of God.
JT We need to be saved from it. In chapter 2 it is the “great salvation” involving redemption.
Ques What is the thought of ‘brethren’ in chapter 2?
JT It was hoped we might get the order of the service, so that we might see in the service what relates to ourselves to begin with because we meet [p. 77] together in assembly. We assemble together, the Lord is not supposed to be there because He would make way for the work of God in us. We celebrate the Lord’s supper in His absence to call Him to mind. If He were in the midst there would be no need to call Him to mind. It is a memorial He has devised and left with us. A brother places the ingredients on the table and we are all there, we assemble with ourselves. The Lord is pleased if we do things rightly and then He comes in. In Acts 1: 21 it says, “the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us”. The apostle who was to be nominated was to be one who was accustomed to that. We learn to assemble, set in relation to one another, persons having the Holy Spirit and who love one another. The Lord comes in because we are attractive, so to speak, to Him, and we are attractive to Him, that is the way the matter stands. It is a great matter to understand and value one another, so that we are worth while to come to. The Lord thinks we are worth while to come to.
Ques What would help us to recognise the Lord when He does come in?
JT That is the next thing, whether we have discernment for it, and all of us would say, “It is the Lord”. That is what they said at the beginning.
Rem We appropriate one another as His brethren.
JT First I would say as disciples, “We being assembled”. It does not designate us by any terms. The writer is Luke. He was one of them. “We being assembled”, and then what comes in is the breaking of bread. But it was in abeyance for Paul discoursed at length, much was needed to be said.
Rem “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”, John 13: 35.
JT It is our relation to one another first and then our relation to Him. We cannot be there hating one another, but we must love one another, or the [p. 78] Lord is not pleased to come. We are there as believers, as disciples.
GG This matter of assembling and love appropriating one another involves that we are thinking of the whole assembly on the earth also, that is, every one having the Spirit. That must be the ground of the thing in our hearts.
JT That is the way the Lord looks at it. The first thing is how we stand with one another, whether we are pleased with one another and can appropriate one another, and sit down together happily as loving one another, as has been remarked, “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”. That is in a section where the Lord is speaking about having part with Him.
Ques Where does the thought of calling them ‘brethren’ come in?
JT It alludes to our relations with Him, as of Him. They that are sanctified are all of one with the Sanctifier, not exactly united but “of one” stock or kind. We are like Him. We often quote what the Lord said, “Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit”, John 12: 24. That fruit is like the grain that was sown, like Himself. “He that sanctifies and those sanctified are all of one” — all of one kind, which agrees with what Abraham had in mind that Rebecca must be of the same family as Isaac.
Rem So it was in resurrection the Lord said, “Go to my brethren”.
JT Quite so. It is not now brethren of one another but of Christ.
Ques What is in mind in “I will declare thy name to my brethren”?
JT It refers to what the Lord will do in us in the way of ministry. We know what Mary Magdalene’s message was. The Lord said, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to [p. 79] my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God”, John 20: 17. That would be the declaration. That is what is alluded to here, “I will declare thy name to my brethren”.
Ques Is it a recurring matter?
JT The declaration is once for all but the Spirit maintains it.
Rem The Lord does not come into the assembly till the breaking of bread.
JT That is because the breaking of bread is intended to be a memorial of Himself. “This do for the calling of me to mind” (see the Darby Translation note to “me” in 1 Corinthians 11: 24). The calling Me to mind, it is a matter of our minds, and we have the mind of Christ, so our minds are capable of being impressed by Him. That is the time you expect Him to come. There is an action in our minds that recalls Him. His presence is consequent, as you may say, synchronous. The Lord would be equal to our minds. He would not be behind at the great moment, He would be there. So John’s gospel would help us, He says, “I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you”. It is not a definite period of time, but it is His attitude of mind. That helps in all matters.
Rem He was made known to them in the breaking of bread in Luke 24.
JT That is an additional sidelight, it was not the Lord’s supper, but something happened very much like what happens at the Lord’s supper, but He vanished. He does not vanish at the Supper. He comes to us. John would endorse Paul’s line of truth, so John says, “Jesus came and stood in the midst”, John 20: 19. Luke says, Jesus “himself stood in their midst”, Luke 24: 36. But John says “came”, so the word ‘came’ precedes “stood in the midst”.
Rem The Lord said, “I am with you all the days”, Matthew 28: 20. It seems Christ [p. 80] is with us.
JT That is Matthew. He says, “Behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”. Well, now will you enlarge what you have on your mind?
Rem I believe that Christ is with us when we gather together in His name; He is with us, but manifests Himself in a fresh new way as we break bread. But is there ever a time when He is not with us? In preaching the gospel is not Christ in our meeting there?
JT He is if He is. If we are in a bad state He is not.
Ques When do we lose Christ?
JT According to the Scriptures the Lord says He will send a Comforter that He may be with us for ever. That is applicable to Christ in the sense in which it refers to the Holy Spirit. He is alongside of us, that is the general position. The Lord says He will send the Comforter, “ye know him; for he dwelleth with you”. He was there, as the Lord was here. But the Spirit is here, too, He “dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”. And He says, “I will not leave you orphans”, meaning they would not be left to themselves without a Protector. “I am coming to you” — it means He is not there at first, He is coming. Therefore while Matthew says, “Lo, I am with you alway”, we have to understand what that means. We have to rightly divide the word of truth; 2 Timothy 2: 15. We have to distinguish between Matthew and John. John has certain lines before him. Matthew never tells us the Lord ascended at all. John says He had not yet ascended. Luke tells us He ascended. So we have to distinguish between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. You have to rightly divide those gospels. In John He comes to us constantly, but in Matthew He is with us always.
Rem Paul says, “I bow my knees to the Father [p. 81] of our Lord Jesus Christ ... that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts”, Ephesians 3: 14 - 17.
JT Well, that is a general truth. No one of us would be without that truth. The Lord is in our hearts. But He has gone into heaven and He is coming back, He has not yet come back. But according to John He says, “I am coming to you”. Paul says, “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the most remain until now, but some also have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; and last of all ... he appeared to me also”, 1 Corinthians 15: 5 - 8. These are all appearings, and last He appeared to Paul. We have to understand that, too. So it is, brethren today are looking for the Lord to come to us according to His promise, but it is in the sense that Scripture says. The Spirit of God is here, a divine Person.
GG I think it helps us and we can all do with that line of things for the establishment of our hearts. In Matthew the Lord’s unceasing presence would stand in connection with the support He would give us in service, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have enjoined you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”. That would be a great support to us in service.
JT It makes our position impregnable. It cannot be overthrown. So He says, “Hades’ gates shall not prevail against it”, Matthew 16: 18. That is a wonderful thing. It is true for us now.
Rem In Luke 22: 19 the Lord says, “This do in remembrance of me”. Not exactly of what I have done for you, but Himself.
JT And the remembrance is calling Him [p. 82] to mind.
Ques How should we recognise the incoming of the Lord?
JT That is a question of discernment. It is a mark of the assembly. It is used in David’s address to Abigail. He says, “Blessed be thy discernment”, 1 Samuel 25: 33. Those words apply to the assembly today.
Rem In the Song of Solomon He comes in answer to love. Love would call Him.
JT Quite so. We are getting at spiritual matters, and “Every word of God is pure” Proverbs 30: 5 — and “Every scripture is divinely inspired”, 2 Timothy 3: 16. The Spirit has come to give us understanding. “The Lord will give thee understanding in all things”, 2 Timothy 2: 7. We get it waiting on the Lord, comparing spiritual with spiritual, and rightly dividing the word of truth. The brethren are coming to see these things.
Rem Jesus “has passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4: 14) and things are operated from there.
JT So Hebrews 2: 9 says, “We see Jesus”. He is crowned with glory and honour. We see Him there.