HOW BELIEVERS ARE LED TO CHRIST
[p. 60] HOW BELIEVERS ARE LED TO CHRIST
Matthew 2: 1 - 12; Luke 2: 8 - 17
I am thinking of believers being introduced to Christ. Many are vague as to the transaction by the Father of making the Son known in the heart. We have examples of this in Peter and in Paul. In Peter’s case the Father revealed to him who the Lord Jesus was, so that he could say who He was; it was not simply a question of what he thought He was, but what he said. The Lord did not ask them as to who they thought He was, but who they said He was. So that Peter by reason of the Father’s revelation to him said of Him, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Then Paul said that God revealed His Son in him, and he preached Him as the Son of God. So that you see, dear brethren, it is not only what we think about Christ, but what we say about Him. In the profession around us men are saying very bad things about Him; others who are not so opposed are saying very indefinite things about Him, so that it is for us who love Him to be able to say definitely who He is. It is a question of what we are saying about Jesus; we are not to be silent. When others who oppose Christ are saying such blasphemous things about Him it is incumbent on each of us to say openly and definitely the truth about His Person. But if we are to know this, there must be a transaction from the Father, or in other words, heaven takes the initiative in introducing us to Christ. This may not be very definite in our experience: it may come in through our reading the Scriptures, or through someone ministering the truth, but at some time or another in our christian experience God introduces us by His Spirit to His Son. I do not believe that any of us will need an introduction when we get to heaven; the introduction is while we are here. This may be by the Father’s [p. 61] act directly by the Spirit, or it may be by the Spirit through ministry, or it may be by the Spirit bringing home to us some passage of Scripture. But it is imperative that this transaction should be known in every one of our souls, that we have a definite apprehension of the Person of Christ and that if we have that apprehension we speak about it, for we shall be challenged. Here in the gospel of Matthew the Lord challenges all of them; He says, “Who do ye say that I am?”
Well now, this principle of introduction appears in all the evangelists, but particularly in Matthew, in Luke and in John. In Matthew it is through the star in the East; in Luke it is by an angel; in John it is by John the baptist. You will all remember how John the baptist looking on Jesus as He walked said, “Behold the Lamb of God”. You see, John knew Him; he had been directed how to locate the Person of the Lord Jesus. The word was, “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit”. Now John saw that, and thus he knew the Person. But he did not keep silent about it; he immediately adds, “I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God”. Two of John’s disciples heard this and followed Jesus; they heard John say, “Behold the Lamb of God”.
Now this was when Jesus was entering on His ministry but Matthew and Luke record introduction to Jesus when He was a Babe and I believe the Lord would have a word for us as to these two introductions. The first record speaks of wise men from the East, but Luke speaks of shepherds. That is, we have in Matthew persons of distinction in this world — those who belong to what we call the educated class. Luke, on the other hand speaks of persons of no special distinction in the world; they are just shepherds. I mention this so that we may [p. 62] see that God is no respecter of persons; all men are the same to Him. If you were to look down from an altitude of one thousand feet, straight down, all men would look very small; whether one man was one foot higher than another would make very little difference. Men would not look as trees walking, but would be more like ants. And so you see, if God looks down — to use my simple figure — all men are the same to Him, whether it be the emperor or the beggar. He respects the king or the emperor, as He does the beggar, for He will never encourage socialism or Bolshevism; I believe He hates it as much as anything there is; it is from that that the worst possible evil will arise. But then, He is not specially honouring the monarch; he is just a man to Him. But he is a man, and the gospel of Mark tells us that a man is better than a sheep; that is to say, from the standpoint of grace it is the greatest possible thing to be a man, for the grace of God carries with it salvation for all men (Titus 2: 11).
God does not ignore governmental circumstances in this world. If He wishes to convert a king He will employ means to get at him; if He wishes to convert a beggar or a prisoner in the dungeon, He will employ suitable means. If a man be an astronomer it is very likely that God will speak to him through the stars or the firmament. If a man be a fisherman it is very likely that God will speak to him through his profession; or if he be a ploughman or a gatherer of summer fruit, as it says, “The invisible things of him ... are clearly seen, ... by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead”, Romans 1: 20. God can speak to men through the heavens, through the sea, and through the very soil which a man ploughs; such are the wonderful instrumentalities that God has through which to address men. And therefore we are not to be disrespectful of the various grades of humanity, as we speak, or [p. 63] callings. Christianity teaches us to accept everything as it is. So in regard of the testimony of the nations, you see these wise men from the East were evidently men who read the heavens, and God spoke to them through what was in the heavens. They saw a star; they saw it in the East; that is, they saw it where they were employed. We have therefore a wonderful example here of the testimony of creation. There is not a word as to the scriptures in regard of them. So that if anyone raise a question as to the East, that is, the seven hundred or so million people in Asia, we can say, Well, these wise men had a testimony; there it is, the everlasting gospel, the heavens, and they were moved by it, and God was working in their souls.
Well now, what they saw was not a known star, known to astronomers. Of course, all the stars belong to Christ; He made them all; He calls them all by name. But this is His star — “We have seen his star in the east”. They were able to tell what belonged to Him, what had reference specifically to Christ. Then another thing here is that in being thus guided they are un-national. National feeling and prejudice goes a long way in hindering the growth of the saints of God. But these wise men are not affected by their national feeling. They come to Jerusalem and they say, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”. If they had said, ‘Where is he that is King of kings?’, then they might have reserved their national feeling, for every kingdom and nation on earth may claim the King of kings. But when they speak of the “King of the Jews”, they give up all national rights; it gives the Jews prior rights on the earth, and, if God has given a nation prior rights, He is sovereign, and if His sovereignty takes away from me my nation, my wisdom is to submit. The great principle underlying all God’s dealings is His sovereign rights. He has [p. 64] taken up a nation sovereignly and given it priority among the nations, and every nation on earth will have to recognise the priority of the Jews. In the future, every nation that does not come up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of tabernacles will get no rain. And so you see, God has given prior rights, a hegemony, to the Jewish nation. And so these wise men were truly wise; they were already recognising the sovereign rights of God. They say, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”. They are concerned about Him as born. The natural mind would say, I will wait till he has grown before I give allegiance.
Our position today is that we own allegiance to Christ before He is acknowledged at all. Outwardly He has been cut off and has nothing, but we know that He is exalted in heaven and we acknowledge His rights already. We acknowledge the sovereign rights of God too; we see that God had set His King on His holy hill of Zion. And so these men here are anticipating our position; they are concerned about the King as born — not the King crowned, but the King born. You see what light they were acting on, but then what one would observe is that notwithstanding that, they fall into wrong hands. They went to Jerusalem and came into the hands of Herod, the rival of Jesus. We are thus reminded that whilst we may have light and are guided up to a point, we may miss our way. Thousands of our brethren who love the Lord started out as converted to find Him, but have fallen into wrong hands; they have become members of established religions with the result that the interests of God have suffered. True enough the Scriptures were there at Jerusalem, and true enough the Scriptures are read in Protestant countries in the established churches. We are very thankful that in a great number at any rate the Bible is ‘Appointed to be read in churches’; it is [p. 65] infinitely better that we should have the Bible read in churches than the Koran or any such book.
There is thus some guidance in these establishments; at least the Scriptures are there. So you find that the chief priest and scribes are appealed to by Herod as to where Christ should be born, and they could tell that much. But notwithstanding the fact that they had the Scriptures and could tell where Christ should be born, there was positive hatred to Him there. Herod, it says, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Why should they be troubled with such news that the King was born? Fifty cannon would roar in modern times at the birth of the Crown Prince, the Prince of Wales, or the like. Why then should they be troubled at the birth of the King of the Jews? It should be an occasion of joy. But the secret was that Herod was a rival to Christ, and the sorrowful thing is that all Jerusalem was with him, a condition exactly like our own today, for not only are the leaders opposed but the people are with them in great measure. Infidelity and opposition to Christ is growing and increasing rapidly. And so in such systems as these we are in wrong hands. Although they can tell us a great deal about Christ, they are opposed. And there is subtle deception too, for Herod says, I want to come and worship Him. He had no thought of worshipping the King; his thought was to murder Him.
Well now, what is so beautiful is that when these men had heard the king they went their way. They had not gone that way in going to Jerusalem, but now they are on their way and the star appears and then they find the King. How lovely to see that star as it rested over the house where the King was! No one of us should be restful, beloved, until we find the King. However small He may be in our minds, He is the King, He is the born King. He is not a usurper, but is born a royal personage. And so the [p. 66] true state of their souls is disclosed. They enter into the house and find the little Child and Mary. Matthew always brings the King forward and so he puts the little Child before its mother. And then they become worshippers. What examples for us; they are not formal worshippers, but bring forth their treasures, gold and frankincense and myrrh. They have got things; they are wealthy. And now after they have become worshippers practically, God says, ‘Now you must not go back to Herod again’. So there is a warning for every one of us — do not go that way again; do not go in the way of the opposers of Christ. They may be distinguished personages, high up ecclesiastically or otherwise; they may know something about the Scriptures and something about Christ — enough to oppose Him; but do not go that way again. Be warned! God sets up a beacon light as it were in that direction — do not go that way! God warns them not to go back to Herod and they are obedient to the vision; they return to their own country another way. We have to find that other way; that way is the spiritual way; it is a different way from the way via Jerusalem. You see Jerusalem here in this passage represents what is accredited publicly; Matthew always casts a slight on Jerusalem. He wishes to direct the true believers in Christ to the assembly and hence he says, ‘Do not go back that way; you will never find Christ in the assembly that way’.
Now going on to Luke, you see how different the people are here in the social scale, and whilst God is no respecter of persons, He does greatly value any traits of Christ that are emphasised in us and will honour them. So that these men although humble and obscure, having no place in the world socially, are keeping watch over their flock by night. In other words, they are shepherds in truth; they are unselfish people — keeping watch over their flocks [p. 67] by night. It was a time not only when other people would be asleep, but when some would be enjoying themselves in the cities, for it is census time. That is to say, it might be represented in this way — suppose you have a fair here in Gothenburg; people come in from the country from all directions and you may be sure all kinds of pleasures are in vogue. But these men are not there; they are unselfishly guarding their flocks by night. And hence they are honoured; they are not left alone, for the angel of the Lord was there by them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. They are evidently much more honoured than the wise men from the East. So that whilst God is no respecter of persons, He is a respecter of the traits of Christ shining out in us, and the more of these that appear, the more we shall be honoured. Then the angel communicates to them the wonderful news that to them was born a Saviour; you see, it is not simply that the Saviour was born, but “unto you”, it says. There is no such word in regard of the wise men. Then it says that as the angel is communicating this wonderful news a multitude of the heavenly host appeared, that is, heaven has come down in volume to introduce these shepherds to Christ. It is as if their hearts were to be impressed with heaven’s thought of Christ. One often thinks of that, that if we were to get into heaven and see heaven’s thoughts of Jesus, how heaven regards Jesus, every one of us would be ashamed at the great difference between heaven’s regard for Him and our regard.
Now the angels depart up to heaven and what will these men do? The angel had said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”. There is in this instance no exposure to Herod. The city of His [p. 68] birth is mentioned and the sign as to how He is to be located. Thus the more traits of Christ we have, the more heaven will honour us and the less we shall be exposed to the official class. So that as the angels depart into heaven, the shepherds say, ‘Let us go’. Let us go where? To Bethlehem! The angel had not used the word ‘Bethlehem’ at all, but these men were spiritual to a point; they knew David’s city, that it was no other than Bethlehem. So let us go to Bethlehem; let us go now. That is what they say, and they go, and notice, they find Mary and Joseph and the Babe. Luke is not concerned about the King; with him it is a question of grace, that Jesus the Son of God could come down so low. So that the parents are mentioned before the Child, whereas Matthew mentions the Child before the parents.
These shepherds go their way to Bethlehem, and where will they go? Will they go to the mayor of Bethlehem, speaking modernly, or the city council, or the centurion, if there was one there? No, they are shepherds and the angel had told them about a manger; they knew what a manger meant. The magi of the East might be quite unconversant with any such small thing as a manger, but the shepherds knew where cattle were kept. You see how perfectly God suits the light He gives to the state we are in. And so it is, where there is true guidance from heaven and we are subject, we shall go directly to the spot. As they went into Bethlehem they would be looking around not for the big houses, but for the mangers, and they find the babe in the manger. They found Him; let us find Him. As I said, God is at all times introducing to us His beloved Son; He is giving clear indications as to where He is. It may be in the smallest and almost humbling circumstances outwardly, but let us not falter; He is sure to be there. As the word is, “Ye shall find”; there is no [p. 69] mistake about it. Having found Him, as I was saying at the beginning, they speak about Him. It says, “And found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger; and having seen it they made known about the country the thing which had had been said to them concerning this child”, Luke 2: 16, 17.
You see the teaching of these passages: heaven is introducing us to Christ. For the moment He is in very humble circumstances outwardly, but soon He is to come out in His majesty, in heavenly glory, and the assembly will be with Him. In the meantime He is in obscure circumstances outwardly, but if we are subject we shall not fail to find Him. As finding Him we shall not fail to worship Him, nor to confess Him, and to say who He is, that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.