Lessons from the Christ of Patmos
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 7, 1887,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword: and His Countenance was as the sun shines in its
strength." Revelation 1:16.
WE have carefully read John's description of the manner in which his
Lord and Master revealed His Glory to him. The figure is colossal and I
had almost said inconceivable. It would be quite impossible to draw a
picture from the Apostle's words. If any artist were to try to set it
forth with His pencil, the figure would be singularly grotesque and
strangely unlike the idea which John intended to convey. How could
anyone picture the voice like the noise of many waters? Or depict the
feet as if they burned in a furnace? To make the portrait technically
accurate would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, and the
draftsman would surely lose the spiritual ideal in endeavoring to give
it shape. The fact is that the details of this celestial vision are
deeply instructive, but there is no impression left upon the mind by it
as a whole–I mean no impression which a man could translate to his
fellow. Probably the seer of Patmos was, himself, unable to form an
idea of what he saw–we know that he fainted at the amazing sight. He
was utterly overwhelmed and though he wrote under Divine command, he
wrote of things beyond himself and beyond all human minds.
The impression produced by one part of the vision inevitably
obliterates that of other parts. Take, for instance, the expression,
"His eyes are as a flame of fire." Can you get the idea? Then add to it
the further one–"His Countenance," which, of course, includes the
eyes, "is as the sun shines in its strength." You lose the brightness
of the flames of fire in the superior glory of the sun–the eyes
disappear as separate objects when the full countenance is seen in its
overwhelming glory!
The vision is spiritual and you can take each point in detail and learn
from it, but it presents to us no resemblance such as can be drawn upon
canvas–it is, as a whole, beyond the grasp of imagination. John might
almost have said, after all he had seen, "I saw no similitude," for,
what he did see, albeit it was a gathering up of rich and rare
similitudes, could not be made into a single image which could be
represented to the eyes or to the mind. In this I greatly rejoice, for
in it I perceive the prudence of the only wise God, our Savior.
The tendency of the human mind is to idolatry. When we do not seek
after another god, we are still tempted to worship the true God under
some visible, tangible form–and this is directly opposed to the Divine
will. The leaning of our evil heart is towards some form, symbol, or
imagery which we judge may help our thought and intensify our worship.
All this comes of evil and leads to evil! Remember the stern command of
God, never to be altered, "You shall not make unto you any engraved
image, or any likeness of anything that is in Heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you
shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord
your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;
and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My
commandments."
God is a Spirit, therefore He is not to be drawn and we are not to use
anything as a help towards our conception of Him, for it will be a
hindrance, not a help. That which can be seen or touched is to be kept
out of our worship of the invisible God, for there is really nothing to
which we can liken Him–the very attempt at making a likeness in
reference to Him is profanity! I know the common excuse, that men do
not worship the image, but that by its means they are helped to worship
God, but this is exactly what the Second Commandment forbids! Carnal
objects are not helps to spiritual wor-ship–they are snares to the
mind and lead the heart away from God!
I feel my soul horrified and my blood boiling with indignation when I
see in what are called Protestant Churches, not only a material altar,
which is treated with honor, but upon it a cross to which idolatrous
reverence is evidently paid by those who bow as they pass before it. It
is very usual, nowadays, to see, also, the Agnus Dei, or a small figure
of a lamb and this, like the figure of a calf among the Israelites, is
viewed with devotion! Why, we are not only going back to Popery, we are
reverting to Paganism! I do not care what shape your image takes,
whether it is a cross, a crucifix, or an Angus Dei–if it is anything
to be seen or handled, it is strictly forbidden in the worship of God!
Had the portrait of our Lord been a suitable subject for reverence–and
I can conceive of nothing for which greater claim can be put in–we
should have had His likeness preserved to us by the special care of the
good Spirit who is always mindful of the edification of saints. But we
have neither painting nor statuary of any authority, nor, indeed, any
which can be supposed to depict His matchless form! If this best of
images is denied us, let us not tolerate the idols of human invention.
The hammers of iconoclasts might find good work in breaking those
images in pieces which now pollute our churches! Take these things
away! They are not becoming in the House of God! They do not help us
towards spiritual worship, but they become grievous offenses to a
jealous God who counts such worship a spiritual adultery by which His
own worship is defiled!
Do not doubt that the Jews in the wilderness, when they made what Moses
calls a calf, really intended to pay Divine honors to the image of a
bull! They had learned in Egypt that the bull was the most venerable of
all symbols of Deity–it is the embodiment of strength and, therefore,
it appeared fit to represent the power of God. They said in effect–"We
will adore the unseen power of God under the image of the useful and
powerful ox." And so they made an image of an ox out of their most
precious things and said, "These are your gods, O Israel, which brought
you up out of Egypt." Moses did not treat this ritualism with respect,
but with indignation! He calls the ox a calf, for it was newly born and
but little in stature. He called it, in grim ridicule, "a calf," and
therein he set us an example, for objects of idolatrous worship should
be treated by us with scorn, lest in any degree we partake in the crime
of idolatry! We must keep ourselves from idols.
When the Philistines called their god the God of Flies, the Jews
ridiculed him as the God of Dung, thus showing their abhorrence of the
imaginary deity. I do not blame our Reforming and Puritan fathers that
they used names of ridicule and contempt for those things which
Romanism has degraded into idols, for even the most sacred things lose
all sa-credness when elevated into objects of adoration, whatever may
be the motive which leads to so great a crime! I may admire the
sincerity which kisses the wounds of the crucifix, but I must, none the
less, abhor the idolatry of the deed and feel a horror of the image!
Did not Hezekiah break in pieces even the bronze serpent when it became
an object of worship? He called it Nehushtan, that is, a mere bit of
brass. If ever there was a piece of brass which deserved religious
regard from men it was that bronze serpent by which so many had been
healed! When used aright, it was God's channel of blessing, but when
idolized it was broken in pieces as so much old metal. I feel glad,
therefore, that even when the Lord Christ revealed Himself so specially
to the mind of John, it was in a spiritual and symbolic manner–and the
wonderful similitudes used were of such a character that it is not
possible to construct from them a figure which could be set up for
purposes of worship.
My Brothers and Sisters, though we pay no homage to an outward and
visible revelation, yet to Him who thus revealed Himself we ascribe all
honor, glory, majesty, power and dominion, forever and ever! Unto Him
whom as yet our eyes cannot see. Unto Him who dwells in unapproachable
light, very God of very God, even Christ Jesus our Savior, we pay the
homage of our full and grateful hearts, not only now, but world without
end!
Having thus removed your minds from any gross and carnal notion that
our Lord is actually what this vision describes, I beg you to note that
the spiritual teaching is all the more to be sought out and treasured
up. I invite you to consider three of those similitudes by which the
Lord Christ is set before us in this Divine Revelation. They stand in
very significant relationship, one to the other. "He had in His right
hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword:
and His Countenance was as the sun shines in its strength." These are
not only in one verse by the will of the translators, but they were
intimately connected in the mind of John and were intended to come to
us together, blended and united.
I. Learn from the first sentence THE POSITION OF INSTRUMENTALITY IN
REFERENCE TO OUR LORD JESUS–"He had in His right hand seven stars."
The stars are said to be the angels, or messengers, or, as many
conceive,
the ministers whom God used as messengers to the Churches and from the
Churches to the outlying world. The word may mean the entire
instructive and enlightening gift of the Church, whether found in one
person or in many. God has ordained that there shall be men anointed of
His Spirit, who shall, beyond others, be the means of conversion and
edifica-tion–and these are as stars in the sky of the Church.
Note well that instrumentality is of temporary use and is intended for
the time of darkness. Churches themselves are "golden candlesticks" and
candlesticks answer their purpose best at night. When the sun is up and
the full day has come, do we need lamps? No, the Church militant has
her reason for existence upon earth in the fact of the surrounding
darkness! The ministers of the Gospel, what are they? Necessary to
Christ? By no means, for the sun does not need the stars! They are
necessary to the present darkness with which they are to struggle, as
burning and shining lights until the Lord, Himself, shall shine forth
in His Glory! The Lord will use instruments till He, Himself, appears,
but even those whom He calls, "stars," are only the transient apparatus
of a passing night.
This should make us think very humbly of ourselves, for, dear Brothers,
this illustrates our weakness. Were we lights of the first magnitude,
the darkness would no longer remain. O stars, you by whom God shines! O
stars with your sparkling and far-reaching light, making glad the eyes
of the benighted! What poor things you are, after all! For with all
your shining, it still remains night! Lamps of God though you are, you
do but relieve the gloom which you cannot remove. If ministers were all
they might be, there would soon be an end of them–but the fact of
their continued necessity proves their weakness! O you that serve God
best, remember that if you served Him better, the day would soon come
when no man would say to his fellow, "Know the Lord," for they all
should know Him, from the least to the greatest!
Consider, then, that instrumentality at its best, when used in blessed
unity as a Church, is no more than a lamp, or candle–and what can this
do as compared with our Lord who shines as the sun? Instrumentality,
when specially selected, enlightened and upheld, is but as a star–and
what can a star do? Yes, what can the whole host of stars do towards
turning night into day? This is a good beginning for our consideration
of instrumentality, since we are apt to grow proud–and this may teach
us humility. Whatever honor God may be pleased to put upon His servants
by calling them stars, it is evident that they are only needed because
it is night–and that they are far too feeble to cope with that night,
to turn its darkness into light.
Still, instrumentality is honorably spoken of by Him whose judgment is
supremely wise. The Lord Jesus does not despise the agency which He
employs. Those whose testimony He blesses for the salvation of men are
compared to stars.
Stars are guides and so are the Lord's true ministers. Some stars in
yonder sky have done measureless service to wanderers over the
trackless deep and to those who have lost themselves in the labyrinths
of the forest. That polestar has conducted many a slave to liberty!
Happy have been the influences of the stars upon the hopeless who,
being lost, have laid themselves down to die! Blessed are those men
who, shining with the Light of God, have turned many to righteousness–
shall they not shine as the stars forever and ever? Are there not
preachers of the Word who have stood like that famous star "over the
place where the young Child was"? They have first led strangers to
Jesus and then have remained in faithful love, shining over the place
where the Lord abides. We preach Christ Crucified–God forbid that we
should preach anything else! We point to Jesus, saying always, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." Ours is,
indeed, an honorable office, to guide wandering feet into the way of
peace. Honored is the least in all our ministry if he may do this.
A certain star, the morning star, is also the herald of the day. All
eyes are glad to see the morning star, because they know that the sun
is always near it. Happy messenger of God who has the sound of His
Master's feet behind him! There have been men and, thank God there are
such still, through whom God shines with rich promise of eternal
day–their ministry heralds the coming of Christ to the heart! They
preach so clearly of Him, that He is set forth evidently crucified in
our assemblies! They hide themselves in their Lord. They have nothing
to lift up but Christ. They bring nothing before men's minds but
Christ. Their only theme is Christ in His First Coming cleansing His
people from their sins–and Christ in His Second Coming bringing them
home to His Glory! Of such men it may be said, "He made the stars,
also," for those are God-made ministers, whose whole witness is for the
Glory of Christ Jesus!
It is an honorable comparison that the instruments of God's good
pleasure have put upon them in being compared to stars, for the stars
are the comfort and solace of the night. Well do men sing, "Beautiful
star," for, amid the surrounding gloom, the twinkling light is a thing
of beauty and a joy forever. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the
feet of him
that brings glad tidings!" We do not rightly value the considerable
amount of light which comes to the earth through the stars, and were
they quite removed, we should soon find the thick darkness of night to
be greatly intensified. It might even become like the darkness of Egypt
that might be felt. In the same way we are apt to undervalue regular
ministries which do not amaze us by any uncommon brilliance. We could
not afford to lose these stars, however feeble their light. Let us
thank God for the many ministries, gentle and obscure, which,
nevertheless, keep the dense darkness from being utterly impenetrable.
Thank God for all the agencies by which He works. He compares His
faithful servants to stars–be sure that you think them heavenly
bodies, bearing celestial light, shining from above. They are not so
small as some think them–and they are not forgotten of Him who calls
them all by their names and leads them out.
Instrumentality is honorably placed, for we see the stars in the right
hand of Him who is the First and the Last. God's ministers are stars,
but not stars up yonder in the sky–they are stars held in the right
hand of their great Lord! Oh, what a position is this! God's true
servants are in the highest place! His right hand made them. None can
make stars but the Maker of all things. It is God who makes ministers
of Christ and gives them light with which to shine! Because of this,
they are honorable in His esteem and He places them in His right hand.
Whatever some may think of faithful preachers, the Lord makes them the
men of His right hand. They may be despised by those who oppose the
Word, but they need not be ashamed, for while the right hand of God is
their position, they are more honorable than the princes and kings of
the earth! Dear servants of God who are serving your Lord in great
obscurity, twinkling feebly and thinking that no one notices you,
receiving no honor from men–never mind, for if the Lord God has given
you light, you are precious in His esteem and He sets you not only at
His right hand, but in it! You are where seraphim might wish to be!
See, also, how true instrumentality is graciously sustained. The chosen
servants of the Lord are under special protection, for they shine in
Christ's right hand. This is where the ministers of Christ need to be,
for they stand in the front of the battle and are in double danger.
Their office has its temptations and even their success has its perils.
If you win souls for God, the devil will have a grudge against you. If
you preach the Word of God with power, all the hosts of evil will
sharpen their arrows and point their shafts at you. The stars of the
Churches have need to be in Christ's hand, for all the fiends of Hell
will puff at them. If they could make a star fall, how greatly would
they rejoice! Glory be to Him who keeps them all. "For that He is
strong in power; not one fails."
Our Lord Jesus holds the seven stars in His right hand. Does not this
teach us the entire dependence of each one of us upon Him? Other stars
may shine in their own natural spheres, but Christ's stars can only
shine as He, by the constant outgoing of His strength, holds them up,
holds them out and holds them fast! They would cease to be stars if
they were not in the Lord's hand. O my Friends who are working for the
Lord in Church, or Mission Hall, or Sunday school– place no reliance
upon yourselves! Do not let your confidence lean upon your own natural
abilities, or acquired knowledge, or garnered experience! Let your
dependence be only upon that right hand which holds you up! The hand of
the glorified Savior is worth depending upon. Behold an arm that never
can be paralyzed! A hand that can never grow weary! Rely not on
yourself in any measure or degree, but only upon that right hand of
power and skill which will hold you up even to the end.
See, then, Beloved, the special security of true instrumentality, for
who can extinguish a star whose sphere is the right hand of God? I see
the devil puffing against these stars until his cheeks are fit to
burst, but he does not even make them flicker–what can harm those whom
Jesus keeps? You know how some fine preachers have gone out in
darkness, smoldering like candlewicks, filling the whole chamber of the
Church with a nauseous smell–and if professed ministers become unholy
or untruthful, their end is sad for themselves and mischievous for all
who are around them. May God save His Church from the smoking flax of
dying ministries! Blessed are they who, trusting in God, shine and
shine on in His keeping. "Yes, they shall be held up." Did He not
ordain for them a lamp which shall never be extinguished? Has He not
put them where they must be safe?
Instrumentality of the right kind is wisely directed for it is in the
Lord's hand. This generation, like children playing in the marketplace,
is not content with the moods and ways of the Lord's servants, but
Wisdom is justified of her children. The Lord sends by whom He will
send! In wisdom and prudence He both kindles His stars and removes
them. He arranges their places and their magnitude, their rising and
their setting. "All His saints are in Your hand," O Lord Christ, but
specially those through whom You speak with men! As the judges in
Israel came and went at the bidding of Infinite Wisdom, even so is it
among the chosen ministers of the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps you think I am making too much of this subject, but I have no
such desire. My design is very practical. The Churches should pray that
their risen Lord would give them more stars and that He would uphold
the stars that are already given, for there is unquestionably a very
close connection between the prosperity of the Churches and these
stars. Whether it should be so or not is not the question, but the fact
is unquestionable–very much depends upon the minister. If you have a
warm-hearted, loving, zealous preacher of the Gospel, you find, before
long, earnest, hearty, godly, working people gathered about him. But
where there is death in the minister–coldness, lukewarmness, need of
zeal and need of holiness–what do you see? Do not the pews reflect the
dreary condition of the pulpit? Is it not so, that like shepherd like
sheep? We act and react upon each other! Brothers and Sisters, pray for
us! It is my solemn conviction that one great need of the Church at the
present time is a more faithful ministry. We need fewer fireworks and
more stars!
One man whom God has given is worth a thousand that a college has made.
When God takes a man and says, "Go and preach in the power with which I
have endowed you," that man will accomplish what a host of learned and
well-trained men would not dare to attempt. Why have we not more mighty
preachers of the Word? Because we do not pray for them! Some of our
ministers are half afraid that such men should come, for fear they
should find themselves outshone. What better gifts can Christ give the
Church with His own right hand than pastors and evangelists? The Church
will never make any great advance until once more God sends here and
there and in 50 places, men with burning hearts and with trumpet voices
to proclaim the Truth of God, the whole Truth of God and nothing but
the Truth of God! We need men that will not yield to the current of the
times, nor care one jot about it, but will hold their own and hold
their Master's Word against all comers because the Lord of Hosts is
with them and the Spirit of God rests upon them!
I would have you at this time realize the Christ with the seven stars
in His hand and I would have you pray, "Lord, fill Your hand with stars
again. Light up the darkness of this period with flaming preachers of
Your Word to the praise of the glory of your Grace." So much about the
position of instrumentality. Follow me now to kindred themes.
II. And now, in the second place, I want you to notice with great care
THE PLACE OF REAL POWER. Note the second of the three sentences–"And
out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." The sword-power, the
war-strength of the Church, does not lie in her ministers. The battle
and the victory are not with them, but with their Lord. I have put them
in their proper place–I have told you that they are stars and I have
reminded you of their usefulness– but the next symbol prevents your
regarding them as forces to be relied on. We read, "Out of His mouth
went a sharp two-edged sword." Not out of the stars, but out of our
Lord's mouth goes the strength which wins the day!
The true power of the Church lies in Christ personally. You may have
all the stars that ever made bright the milky way with their combined
sheen, but there is no power in them to kill evil, or conquer sin! The
stars of the Church shine because God makes them shine. Their shining
is not their own–it is borrowed light with which they are radiant. The
power that overcomes evil, wounds the hard heart, pierces the
conscience and kills reigning sin is of the Lord alone. "Out of His
mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." Glory not, therefore, in men, for
power belongs unto God. Boast not in the talent nor in the experience
of the man of God, for he can neither kill nor make alive. The power of
a Church is the Presence of her Lord! He has not deposited power in
men. He retains it in Himself and from Himself we must seek it. Behold
the infinite resources of the Church–all power is in Jesus–and Jesus
is with His people!
The power lies in Christ's Word– "Out of His mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword." Beloved, the power that wins souls is the Word of
God, not my explanation of it, nor yours. It is not my amplification of
it, nor yours. It is not my illustration of it, nor yours. The power is
not in the stars, but in the Word which made the stars! God's Word is
the source of all things. Therefore reckon that every sermon is a
wasted sermon which is not Christ's Word! Believe that all theology is
rotten rubbish which is not the Word of the Lord! Do not be satisfied
with going to a place of worship and hearing an eloquent discourse
unless the sum and substance of it is the Word of the Lord! My Brothers
and Sisters, whether you teach children or their parents, do not think
you have done any good unless you have taught the Word of the Lord. For
saving purposes we must have the Lord's Word and nothing else! It is
not your word, O you most devoted soul-winners! It is not your word, O
you most impassioned evangelists! It is not your word, O you most
plaintive persuaders! It is the Word of the Lord and that, alone, which
will abide and subdue all things to itself. The voice of the Lord
breaks the cedars of Lebanon–we can do all things with it! We can do
nothing without it!
And notice again, that it is not only His Word, but it is His Word as
He, Himself, speaks it. Does Christ, then, still speak the Word in the
Church? Yes! It is not the Truth of God in the Bible, alone, which
saves–it is that Truth taken by
the Holy Spirit and vivified and laid home to the heart. It is not the
letter of the Word which Jesus spoke 1,800 years ago which works
wonders, but it is that same Word as He now delivers it into our ear
and heart by His own living, loving, heart-subduing voice! I may speak
Christ's Words in vain, but He speaks to purpose. The sword in Peter's
hand cuts off an ear, but the sword in Christ's mouth slays sin and
subdues men to Himself! You have heard a sermon full of precious Truths
of God and yet it has done you no good. At another time you have heard
the same Truth and it has overwhelmed you by its hallowed power! What
was this difference? Is it not that in one case it was God's Word out
of the preacher's mouth and in the other case it was God's Word out of
His own mouth? Yes, every Word of God is a keen sword to slay sin when
Jesus speaks it!
My soul melts in repentance when my Beloved speaks to me. Nothing can
stand against the Word of Jesus! He speaks and it is done! O my
Brothers and Sisters, I have no faith in my own preaching, but I have
all faith in my Lord's speaking. His Word shall not return unto Him
void. Out of His mouth no syllable shall come in vain. I charge you,
look away from us, the twinkling stars, to our Lord, whose month is the
conquering force of His Church!
The Word of God is, in itself, adapted to the Divine end, for it is
sharp and two-edged. And when it is spoken by the Lord, its adaptation
is seen. The Gospel is very sharp when the Spirit of God lays it home.
No doctrine of men has such piercing power. Take care, O preacher, that
you do not blunt the Word, or try to cover over its edge, for that
would be treason to the Lord who made it to be sharp and cutting! There
is much about the true Gospel which offends and it should be our desire
never to tamper with it, or to tone it down, lest we become enemies to
the Lord's Truth. Truth which is meant to offend human pride must be
stated in its own way, even though seen to produce anger and annoy
self-righteousness. Doctrine which is cutting and killing must not be
concealed or softened down. "He that has My Word, let him speak my Word
faithfully, says the Lord."
People are disturbed and troubled by the real Gospel–under a false
gospel they can sleep into destruction. Bring out the sword–it is made
to wound–let it exercise its salutary sharpness. The Gospel has two
edges, so that none may play with it. When they think to run their
fingers along the back of it, they will find themselves cut to the
bone! Whether we regard its threats or its promises, it cuts at sin.
Whether we move it up or down, it makes great gashes in that which
ought to be wounded and killed. Let us, therefore, know that the power
of the Church does not lie anywhere but in the Word as Jesus, Himself,
speaks it. Let us keep to His own pure, unadulterated, unblunted
Word–and let us pray Him to send it forth with power out of His own
mouth into the hearts and consciences of men.
III. May the Holy Spirit fasten this on your memories! I must now
conduct you to the third point which is a very wonderful matter–THE
SOURCE OF TRUE GLORY. The source of true Glory in a Church lies in her
enjoying the Countenance of her Lord. "His Countenance was as the sun
shines in its strength." When Jesus is pleased with the Church, she
enjoys noonday prosperity!
Brethren, endeavor to realize the idea of Christ's countenance shining
as the sun. Let me then remind you of our former themes. Where are the
seven stars? They are still in His hand, but I defy you to see them,
for when the sun is once up, where are the stars? Ah, dear young
people! When you first hear a minister preach with Divine power, he is
everything to you! God enables him to bring light to your darkness and,
for a season, you rejoice in his light. When you get further on in the
road and come to see the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, in the Divine
Glory of His blessed Person, then you will not glory either in Paul, or
Apollos, or Cephas, but you will glory in only Jesus! The stars are
still twinkling, but you cannot observe them when the sun shines in
noontide splendor and so the human instrument is as useful as ever, but
when Christ Himself is fully seen, the instrument takes a place far
lower down. We are grateful for the stars–they have had blessed uses
for our good–but we cannot mention them in the same day with the Sun!
Now that we have seen the Lord, we value His servants, none the less,
but they are still servants and only servants–and He is Lord of All.
An hour with Jesus is better than a year with all the Apostles!
Personal communion with Jesus is far more powerful for our good than
the best preaching in the world!
If you catch the idea of our Lord's Countenance being "as the sun
shines in its strength," let me ask you where is the sharp two-edged
sword which came forth out of His mouth? You have not forgotten it, but
at the same time it would be hard to discern it upon the face of the
sun. When we enjoy Christ, Himself, we do not think the less of His
Word! But it seems to be absorbed in Himself. He Himself becomes to us
the Logos, the Word. Even the Gospel, itself, glorious as it is, bears
no other glory than that which we behold in the face of Jesus Christ.
This is the Glory which excels. This is the
Glory before which dispensations, economies and systems of Truth appear
to be mere reflections of that which is embodied and epitomized in Him!
To see the face of our Lord and enjoy His love is to stand, like
Milton's angel, in the sun!
I must hurry over places where I am tempted to linger. To the saints,
the Glory of Christ lies in Himself–His own Countenance is the center
of Glory. Consider the work which He has finished and the reward with
which His Father has glorified Him. Consider His Divine Nature and the
perfect Manhood which He has taken into union with it. Consider all His
infinite perfections, but especially His love, His boundless,
changeless love to His people. This is the sun which makes our day and
fills us all with joy and gladness! What do we need more than His
loving favor? I would to God that we were henceforth shut up to His
praises and were bound to see no beauties but those of our Lord. To
think that He should love you–that He should so love you as to die for
you–and that having died for you He should go up unto the Father for
you and fill all things for you and reign in everlasting splendor for
you; why, all this is a surpassing glory of love! If you once know that
His Countenance is towards you, then will you see such a Gory in His
Grace and favor as you have never before imagined! Once behold the
splendor of the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and you will need
neither candle nor star–for the Glory of God in the face of Christ
Jesus will be as seven suns to you!
Notice that the favor of Christ, if it is enjoyed by a Church, is
effectual for all purposes. Why do we crave for stars when the sun
shines? In the absence of human instrumentality, the Lord Jesus will
more than suffice. Even for those purposes for which the sword goes out
of His mouth, the Lord's Countenance is enough. A sunstroke is as
effectual for overcoming as the stroke of a sword. Let Christ shine in
the Church and He will destroy His enemies with the brightness of His
Glory! Let Him shine in the Church and you will have all the warmth,
joy and delight that a Church can desire. Let Him shine in the Church
and you will have all the life, growth, sweetness, mellowness and
perfectness that even the Garden of the Lord can yield. If our Lord is
with us, delighting Himself in us and countenancing our endeavors, we
shall, as a Church, prosper better than if we had the endowments of the
State, the approbation of the wise and the patronage of the great!
To make the Church of God the grandest instrumentality conceivable, all
that is needed is that she shall please her Lord in all things and,
therefore, shall walk in the light of His Countenance. "Lord, lift up
the light of Your Countenance upon us." "Cause Your face to shine and
we shall be saved." "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Your Countenance." What a
light it is! In the sun's beams we find the most necessary and
indispensable gifts–and in our Lord Jesus we find all things for time
and for eternity! When the Sun of Righteousness arises, He brings
healing in His wings. Then we are made strong, so that we go forth and
grow up like calves of the stall. Let the Lord show us His face and we
have reached the height of our desires.
Yet note well that the brightness of our Lord cannot be measured,
neither could His Glory be endured of mortal men if once it were fully
revealed. "His Countenance was as the sun shines in its strength." John
therefore could not gaze upon that Countenance, but fell at His Lord's
feet as dead! It would be a dangerous thing for you to stand still and
attempt to gaze upon the sun. To turn a telescope full upon the sun and
place your eye to the glass would be the extreme of folly! Our eye must
be shielded, or it cannot look on the sun. And, Beloved, if the Lord
Jesus were to manifest Himself to us as He really is, in all His
unveiled majesty, we should die with excess of joy! If He were to turn
the whole stream of His love into our hearts, our frail bodies would be
unable to bear the blissful excitement which would follow upon such a
heavenly discovery. You know something of Him and you are pining to
know more–and well you may–for your life lies that way. But still, He
must always be the best judge of how much He shall reveal, for, "He
knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust."
He holds Himself in reserve until we are prepared to receive the
amazing bliss of His glorious manifestation. Perhaps even in eternity
He will have to hide Himself somewhat, for there is in Him such
greatness that our littleness would fail before Him were His Glory all
revealed. Oh, cry to Him to show Himself to you, but still do not
marvel if He answers you, "You cannot see My face and live." That holy
man, Mr. Walsh, when the Lord revealed Himself to him, was obliged to
cry, "Hold, Lord! Remember I am but an earthen vessel and if I have
more of this delight I must die." One said he would like to die of that
disease–and I am very much of his mind. They say, "See Naples and
die." But to improve on it, another said, "See Naples and live." And
truly this is the better sight of the two!
I would gladly see my Lord so as to live to His praise. Oh, for such a
vision as should shape my life, my thought, my whole being, till I
became like my Lord! Oh, to see Him so as to be changed into His image
from glory unto glory! Per-
haps some of us may even die in this sweet fashion, by the Lord's
letting in of His Glory upon our souls in such a torrent that we shall
be washed away into the bottomless sea of infinite delight! He may be
pleased to pull up the sluice gates and let the sea of Glory in upon
the marshy places of our dying hours. The little river of our life goes
rippling down towards the sea and in our closing hour its stream runs
low–just then the tide from the shoreless sea comes up the river to
meet the stream–and then the riverbed is filled by the fullness of the
ocean. You shall realize that parable when heart and flesh are
failing–and the Lord comes in to be your Portion forever!
Yet once again, Brothers and Sisters–if Christ's face is so bright,
then we know where to trace all the light and all the glory that we
have ever seen or known. Is there any beauty in the landscape? It is
the sun that makes it beautiful. Is there any brightness in any object
round about us? It is the sun that makes it bright. If it were dark,
you would behold no scenery and observe no beauty. Darkness is the
grave of beauty–and the absence of Jesus would be the end of all human
virtue. Is there any sweetness, excellence, holiness, goodness, Grace,
about anything on earth? It comes only from Jesus! Attribute it to Him,
then, and bless His name!
Rejoice also, you that behold His face and live in communion with Him,
for your faces, also, will shine. You may look at yonder seven stars
very long before you are made to reflect their light, but, dear
Friends, if you see Jesus and abide in the light of His Countenance
habitually, your faces, your characters, your lives, will grow
resplendent, even without your knowing it! We read that Moses knew not
that his face shone–all saw it but himself. The sons of men will
wonder where you have been to have gathered such brightness. I know
some few men and women who seem to carry about with them the fragrance
of the ivory palaces–there is a perfume about their words, their
actions and their very selves.
All nostrils do not enjoy the aroma of holiness, but the heart of the
spiritual man is refreshed thereby. One cries, "From where came this
perfume? Oh, that I had it! Oh, that such fragrance were shed abroad in
my life!" I have heard that in the old times, when they would attract
doves to a certain pigeon house, they took certain birds and smeared
their wings with a costly perfume and sent them forth. Other pigeons
were so delighted with their sweetness that they followed them to the
dovecotes. Oh, that you and I may be so sweetened by dwelling near to
Christ that others may come with us to see Jesus and His love! At any
rate, may we so look on the Well-Beloved that our own faces may shine
and others, beholding our brightness, shall glorify our Father which is
in Heaven!
God bless you, Beloved. I wish we were in a better frame of mind for
hearing and preaching. Truly this great heat and my own painful
infirmity remind me of our Lord's words, "The spirit, indeed, is
willing, but the flesh is weak." Nevertheless, may our Lord reveal
Himself to us according to the greatness of His compassion. Amen.