CHRIST AMONG YOU, a glorious expectation. In these words there lies an untold wealth of deepest meaning for the saints of God. They set forth a secret unfolded for rich individual blessing. Christ, now at the right hand of God, ministers from the heavens. And the blessing vouchsafed is for all God's people, without let or hindrance. While Israel, set aside, must know a long and weary waiting period, with fiery trial and judgment's strange work, Christ ministers a rare grace among the nations. His words on earth were those of grace and truth, but how much more so, His words from the heavens. Do they not altogether transcend the old-time message? The seal is so set to all His glorious work, the foundation so surely laid, that now He enters upon an accomplishment which will elicit th e praise of the whole universe. Because God is silent; men think of Him as being altogether outside the affairs of life. But is not His silence rather the hush of expectancy, the tranquil waiting for His hour to strike? In such an interlude, it is that "the God of expectation may be filling you with all joy and peace in believing, for you to be superabounding in expectation, in the power of holy spirit" (Rom.15:13). To many minds it appears a long, long silence, an interval of sheer frustration. This is because they are disposed to things on the earth. They fail to realize the character of the life "hid together with Christ in God." It may be, and it is all so easy, they are taken up with the accessories of everyday life. In this there is danger for us all. Th e world is so much with us, that so little time is left for the nurtur e of the spirit. Silence, yes. But how eloquent of that wondrous salvation Chris t conducts for us at the right hand of God. How many, many times are the saints being saved "in His life," His life on high. We do well t o note more prayerfully, more thoughtfully, His marvelous movements, His frequent interventions in the circumstances of our life. What occasions for an amazed thankfulness! Yes, the interlude is indeed a full one of God's rich grace, of His unseen and unheard advances. They leave no room for envy, and th e emulation of others which the world affects. They impress us, too, with the worth-whileness of life in God. Thus, in the light and contentment of such an outlook as ours, there is a settled peace. Three great classes are concerned with the coming of Christ. Th e world, Israel, and the church, the body of Christ. Now, it is impressive, as also instructive, to note the world's attitude in thi s great matter. To whom does it look, and of what does it think? When we consider that, as John writes, "the whole world is lying in the wicked one," it is not surprising that the world looks to great men as leaders of its destiny. Away from God, it pursues a course of its own, and in the pursuit looks to a knowledge and wisdom coming from men alone. Instead of "thus saith the Lord," it is "thus saith science." And one could almost think science was some great god. That men, in their ant-like activities, are so constrained by its voice, speaks volumes for the power and mastery of "the chief of the aerial jurisdiction." Now, the scientist may be well-meaning, and many of his findings be of real benefit to the human race. It is, however, the uses to which inventive science is put, their magical, habit-forming grip, which so enthrals and holds the world in mystic spell. Hence, the mind is drawn to things, things on the earth, and not to Him Who saves and blesses, and will yet more gloriously still, save and bless. The sad tragedy of it all is that religion is put in the place of Christ. The mind must be attracted to a building, a priest or preacher, and to ceremonies. But spirit-taught men, like Isaiah, and Stephen, and Paul, saw the danger of edifices, hand-made, and of ceremonies, hand-performed. The church, too, even where it has not donned the purple robe, looks to its alliance with educative forces, for a present world salvation. It would fain make the world a paradise, and only think o f Christ as a Teacher, and if a Saviour, then ever and always far away . It has introduced the hazy idea of "the church militant, and the church triumphant." And, instead of cherishing "the happy expectatio n and glorious advent of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ," it has inserted a figment of the imagination. It teaches that at death there is an immediate heavenly bliss. To quote a one-time popular preacher's conception: "You have been accustomed to walk in the wet grass on the top of the grave. I shew you the underside of the grave. The bottom has fallen out, and the long ropes, with which the pall-bearers let down your dead, let them through into heaven." So much could be written of the world, and of Christendom and its ways. But there is little light athwart the gloom. True and persistent light can only come through and by the living Word. In th e light of that Word, there is but One worthy, wise, and strong enough to be the world's Rescuer and Ruler. But what of Israel? Are they expectant? They were, in the long ago. But even then, their conception of Messiah was of One Who shoul d come as a glorious Conqueror and King. His sufferings, the bruising of His heel, they could not grasp. Even His miracles, which He wrought in confirmation of His Messiahship, did not draw forth complete and whole-hearted allegiance. He came as a great light, and as the glory of His people Israel . But His light was hid, His glory veiled, and few were they who saw i n Him a wondrous Redeemer. As for the disciples, the kingdom alone seemed to fill their vision. That the King must suffer did not enter their thoughts. This is made quite clear by Christ's own words: "Lo! we are going up into Jerusalem, and all will be, accomplished in the Son of Mankind which has been written through th e prophets. For He shall be given up to the nations and will be deride d and outraged and spat upon, and, scourging Him, they will be killing Him, and the third day He will be rising." Did they quite grasp the meaning of these significant words? Mark what follows: "And they understood none of these things, and this declaration was hid from them, and they knew not what was said" (Luke 18:31-34). They had the Scriptures, but had been, as Christ told them, "foolish and tardy of heart to be believing on all which the prophets speak." They needed an interpreter, so Christ became on e as He opened to them the Scriptures. More than this, "He opens up their minds to understand the Scriptures." Is there not a parallel to this in our own day? How many believers, even, are not believing all which is so gloriously spoken of our Lord and Saviour. That He is "the Lord Jesus Christ, our Expectation," is not seen and believed. But who, then, shall be the interpreter? May we not say Paul, "teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth?" He gives us a conception of Christ eminently satisfying, and worthy of first place in our hearts. His evangel was "through a revelation of Jesus Christ." It was "the evangel of the glory of Christ," the glad message of the glory of the happy God. Israel's Redeemer shall come, the Desire of all nations arrive. In Him, there shall be fulfilled both promise and prophecy. For He will come to His own. The Day-spring from on high shall again visit the earth, and a greater than Solomon rule His people. Then will be seen those kingly qualities so truly ascribed to Him. There will be righteous rule and justice for the poor. And economic problems will be so solved as that He will be the confidenc e of all the ends of the earth. At His presence the earth will be wondrously transformed. No longer will the arid desert, the frowning solitudes, dismay the heart of man. There will be a marvelous fertility; and healing waters, of which both Ezekiel and Zechariah speak, shall be fringed on their banks by trees, whose fruit shall b e for food, and their leaves for medicine. We have only to read, say, Isaiah's sixtieth chapter, to be thrilled by an eloquent description of Israel's royal state, and an order of things which will prove indeed, the earth to be the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. For He only can reclaim, He alone lift the curse. Thus, in ways above human imagination, the Author of all life , and the Sustainer of the universe, will demonstrate His ability to order and maintain the ideal government which man has longed for dow n the ages. And it is good to contemplate all this. But after all, our supreme concern is with the glorious expectation so inseparably linked with our celestial allotment. Its outstanding feature is that we are "in a state of prior expectancy in the Christ." All that God has made us to be, and all that we shall be, is in Him. He Himself i s our one expectation. What He will bring to pass, all that He will accomplish, should be in the foreground of our vision. For all this, the church down here should only be a preparatory school, its great desire being for His personal presence. One expectation. One shining hope. The looking forward to a tangible state of being, a life of pulsating vitality never experienced on earth. A spiritual, not as now, a soulish body. The spirit will then be dominant, and in a body fitted for celestial habitations, will display a grace and capacity supremely God-given, and perfectly Christ-like. We shall have powers in keeping with our changed and exalted environment, and all that we would do for God's glory will be perfectly possible. The expectation which is ours is the crowning part of our salvation. For "we were saved in expectation." Faith, expectancy, love. These are the three great qualities of our pilgrim journey. These three. But what a connective link is expectation! And how wonderfully it is identified with faith! For "we are walking by faith, not by perception." Faith, which is life, is the assent of th e whole being to God.
Faith, though it press on alone, looks to the realities of the unseen. But what assurance it gains as to the things of God! To the unaided understanding, the nature of our destiny is inconceivable. T o the world at large it is a vagary, an insensate flight of imagination. Yet a scientist has put the question: "Is the earth the only abode of life in all the universe?" Then he adds, "Nature has given us a tantalizing taste of truth, withholding at the same time a great body of knowledge for which we are clamoring." To us, however, God's wisdom in a secret, has been revealed. An d in the faith which relates to us, a prospect is unfolded which passe s beyond all soulish comprehension. Realms, not only of light, but of definite life, are revealed, celestial abodes, whereon we shall live in glorious being. And may we not say, there will be motion and rest , service and worship? Tireless activity, it may be, but with wondrous intervals of contemplative repose, and of a spirit worship unknown before. There is no need for us to question the possibility of life on other worlds or planets. It suffices for faith that celestial allotments await us. And, just because "our citizenship belongs to the heavens," we shall there in various ways fulfill its character. But, supremely above all unfolding of God's grace to celestial beings, will be the near and real presence of the Lord Christ. And likeness to Him, and sight of Him, will in itself mean life. What life indeed! A being we could not know in the body of our humiliation. Life superabounding, effortless, untainted, free. Alway s a welling up of impromptu praise. For the King of the ages is coming into His own. His triumph is on the way. Longings are realized, ideals fulfilled, and beings in heaven and earth alike attend on His behest. There is an eloquence we may not know till then. A voicing of spirit praise our freed powers can only then express. In view of all this liberty, we may well desire to fill this little interval of grace with thoughts of Him. He, now, in spirit, is among us. And of His redeeming grace and love we have tasted, and shall yet taste to the full. Shall He not, then, be to us a glorious expectation? |
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