THE SUPERLATIVES In the Scriptures we have our attention directed to things relating to God that are of surpassing quality. The word superlative’ in the title conveys the thought of being of the higfrest degree, or most eminent. Yet the superlatives of the Scriptures are not only surpassing in their quality, but they lie right beyond our full g rasp and comprehension of them. 1. Unsearchable Judgements. In Romans 11:33 Paul exclaims, "How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out." In the quotations that follow this we are reminded that God has acted in His own wisdom and power independently of, and before all others, and according to His own purpose. He is the originator of all things, the upholder of all, and all things move to their consummation in Him. It is written concerning our Lord Jesus Christ that He made the worlds, He upholds them by the word of His power, and He is the ap p ointed heir of all things (Heb.l:2,3). God, in the fulness of His ,is reater than our minds can take in; He is above all, over all, and before all. "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection"? (Job 11:7). Our deepest searching after Him falls short in true appreciation of His majesty and the infinitude of His attributes and perfections. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than ours" (lsa.55:8,9). "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things; to Whom be glory for ever" (Rom.11:36). 2. Unspeakable Gift. The apostle, in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, touches on the matter of giving to the support of believers in need. And, as so commonly in his letters, he brings to our minds the Divine example: ‘Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift". God is a giving God Who gave to meet our need. He gives us richly all things to enjoy. He has given exceeding great and precious promises to those who believe. He gives to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with Whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning. Yet surpassing and encompassing all other gifts, God gave His Son. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things"? (Rom.8:32). How can we understand or tell out the wonder of God’s gift, or the love that moved in the heart of God toward a world of sinners? Blessed be God our God, 3. Unsearchable Riches. In writing to the Ephesian believers Paul tells of the high privilege accorded him to "preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). 1 doubt that the apostle has in mind the wealth of possessions. The Lord Jesus who "in the days of His flesh" had not where to lay His head, is yet the "possessor of heaven and earth" and heir of all things. But the apostle has in view that wealth that resides in our Lord Jesus for salvation and satisfaction, His moral glory and perfections. In Him all fulness dwells. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The fulness of Christ will engage the hearts of His people forever. How much we should en 4eavour, like Paul, to declare even now, His unsearchable riches. 4. Unfathomable Love. In the same chapter, in his prayer for the Ephesian Christians, Paul desires that they might "know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph.3:19). What he desired for them, and for us, is that we might have an enlarged understanding of the mystery of Jew and Gentile brought together in one body, the Church, and of the eternal purpose of God that centres in, and is accomplished by, our Lord Jesus Christ. The fulfilment of that purpose involved the display of the love of Christ a love so great and deep that it transcends our comprehension. Yet we can know in measure what cannot be measured, of a love "so amazing. so divine." Nor was that love demonstrated only once, and in the past at Calvary, but it remains constant still. John ascribes praise "unto Him Who loves us and loosed us from our sins" (Rev.l:5 RV). Further, nothing shall separate us from that love; we shall know its warmth and embrace forever. 5. Unspeakable Joy. Reception of God’s unspeakable gift gives rise to an unspeakable joy (I Pet.1:8). The Christian is not immune to the sorrows and disturbances of earth. Indeed, the believers to whom Peter was writing were put to grief through many trials. They were being maligned as if they were evildoers, yet they had a joy that trial could not erase. It was based on their "living hope", the realisation of their salvation and inheritance in Christ. Though afflicted and suffering, they were kept by the power of God unto salvation which they would enjoy in its fulness in the coming day of glory. 6. Inexpressible Words. In 2 Cor.12:l-4 Paul relates his experience of being caught up into heaven, whether bodily or not he did not know, but he heard words that he was not able to express. The full glories of heaven cannot be understood by man in the flesh. Even after the disciples had been three years in the company of the Lord Jesus, there were many things which he was unable to disclose to them because they did not then have the capacity to receive them (John 16:12). How much more then would the wonders, melody and happiness of heaven exceed our present capacity to appreciate them. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the heavenly sphere, but one day all believers will be caught up as Paul was, but then with "spiritual bodies" (1 Cor. 15:44), meeting the Lord in the air to be forever with Him (I Thess. 4:17). Paul, writing later to the Romans, reckoned that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. 7. Exceeding Power. In Ephesians 3 Paul, having contemplated the unsearchable riches and unfathomable love of Christ, breaks into a doxology to "Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think". While the wonders and glory of heaven lie before us, let us not hinder God in His working in us now, while we await the Lord’s return. -A.C.McEwan PAUL’S FAREWELL TO THE PHILLIPIANS The closing words of this epistle are among the most beautiful of the whole volume of Scripture. How they breathe of the very atmosphere of heaven, and exemplify the teaching which has been the dominant note of the entire letter! There are five outstanding characteristics. 1. The Garrisoned Heart. This is expressed in words so familiar to our Christian ears that often their very meaning is lost in the familiarity which breeds contempt. "The peace of God which passes all understanding" keeps the heart and mind of the child of God who simply follows the instructions given in the previous words. Praise "rejoice in the Lord". Prayer "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God". Patience "let your moderation be known unto all men". These are the three regulating principles which lead the soul into the realm of experimental peace, where is the serenity of a calm which is not easily disturbed. It is the very peace of the God of peace. May we know more of it by diligently following the prescriptions given by one who knew how well they worked out in practice. For in the Roman prison, was he not himself in circumstances where only the possession of such peace could enable him to write with such felicity of mind? 2. A Beautiful Mind. There is no more apt way of impressing this matter than the repetition of Paul’s words themselves. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (dignified, honourable), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things". The question immediately arises, "on what does your mind feed"? The food of the mind determines the kind of man. As the old proverb says, a man is what he eats. This is even more true in a moral sense than in a physical sense. Do we think on true things, on honest things, on just things, on lovely things, on things of good report, on virtuous things, on praise-worthy things? If we think on such things and perform the duties associated with them, then we have the guarantee that the God of peace will be with us, and will make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well pleasing in His sight. 3. A Contented Spirit. What a triumph of the grace of God is revealed in this declaration of the prisoner of the Lord, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". That perfection of trust is not learned on the highway of life’s Epicurean pleasures, but on the pathway of persistent faith in God. But his spirit can generously appreciate every little service rendered to make life more comfortable while he awaited his translation to a better world. Here there was giving and receiving, and he, the recipient, could look upon the gift of the Phillipians as an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice, acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Is there not encouragement here to those who give, to give again? Is there not also example to those who receive, to endeavour to appreciate as the Lord does, the sacrifice that is often involved in the giving of such gifts? 4. Christian Triumphs. Few epistles close without a doxology, and this one is no exception. "Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen". Also, to those who had so kindly given to him, Paul says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". And in the joy of the eternal bonds that bind the children of God together he says, Salute every saint in Christ Jesus", and "All the saints salute you". 5. EncIrcling Grace. There the letter began. Here it ends. It is grace from first to last. We cannot do better than close with the words that bring the epistle to an end, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen". - Andrew BorlandZION "Walk about Zion, and go around about her: count the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following - Psalm 48:12,13. Some may not be aware that there are two places called Zion, or Sion, in Scripture. Hermon, in the north, believed to be the Mount of Transfiguration, is called Sion (Deut. 4:48), but it is Zion, the "City of David" with which we are more familiar. Many have spoken of Zion as though it were the heavenly city the new Jerusalem. While it may in some ways prefigure it, yet is most clearly distinguished from it. In fact the contrast is clearly shown in Heb.12:22 "Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto...the heavenly Jerusalem". Just as David made Zion the Royal City when he established his kingdom, so will David’s greater Son yet "choose Zion" when He establishes His Kingdom in power. Then it will become the city of the Great King, the joy of the whole earth, the perfection of beauty, out of which God will shine. Though Christ is rejected by Jew and Gentile alike at present, God has declared the decree "Yet have I set My King upon the holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:6). In God’s time, in spite of the rage of man, our Lord Jesus Christ shall reign in Zion as King. While it is essential to be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth, distinguishing between the things that belong to the Jew and those which belong to the Church, the Christian should be able to delight in all that God has revealed. We should, of course, realise that the ‘better’ blessings are the heavenly ones, which by grace are provided for us (Heb.I 1:40). But let us never loose sight of the tremendous scope of that wonderful Scripture in Roman 8:17, "Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ". So whether it be in heaven or on earth, all is included in that marvellous inheritance which through His great grace, Christ will share with His own. Who can imagine a Queen so taken up with the Palace home provided by her Royal Husband, that she had no interest in his dominions, yet this is the attitude of many a Christian. The wonderful blessing which Christ has promised to dispense to the world during the Millennium, find no response in their hearts, and the prophecies of future glories for Israel lose their interest because they say "they are not for us"! On the contrary, the Christian also has a portion in that which is strictly speaking, Jewish a portion which is, in a way, even greater than theirs. In the future day of His glory, Israel will be the earthly subjects of the King, whereas it will be granted to us to sit with Him in His throne. They will be the recipients of the blessings, but we shall be with the One Who dispenses the blessings. Theirs will be to enjoy the earthly blessings, we shall enjoy the Millennium from a heavenly standpoint. Hebrews 12:22 confirms this, for it will be noticed that Mount Sion, which is the earthly aspect of the Millennium, is included in the portion into which the believer is brought. In this beautiful passage, a wonderful bird’s-eye-view of the Millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, in its different aspects, opens before us, and it is into the good of all this that the Christian is introduced through faith. In contrast with the terrors of Mount Sinai under law, the apostle says, "But ye are come to Mount Sion", that is, the earthly capital from which Christ will dispense the blessings of His reign on earth. Then he continues, "And to the City of the Living God the heavenly Jerusalem", that is, the heavenly Capital, so to speak. He goes on to mention the angels, the Church, the Old Testament saints, and best and highest of all, we are come to God, and to Jesus and to the blood of sprinkling. What wonderful circles of blessing come before us, as we see each of these families blessed. That the Zionist movement, in its present or future developments, will cause many Jews to return to the Land in unbelief, is quite clear from Scripture. That intense tribulation, unparalleled in history, will fall upon them in that land is also certain. It is likewise beyond all doubt that the Lord will yet build up Zion, and turn again its captivity, and bless its latter end more than its beginning. While we look for such things, let us not lose sight of the still more precious portion of "that great City, the Holy Jerusalem". In Revelation 21 we see her descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Zion will have its temple, its priests and its joyful assemblies, but in that holy and heavenly city there will be no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. As J.N.D. put it God and the Lamb shall there This is indeed beyond all blessings the very best, the holiest and the happiest. For to dwell in the City of God, with no veil between, no temple walls, nor curtains, but in the immediate presence of God and the Lamb is joy unbounded and unutterable. The grace of God, and the work of Christ that has secured this for us is beyond all praise. - Slightly abridged M. Prior.CALLING ON THE NAME OF When we kneel down and pray to our Lord Jesus, how ought we to address Him? Would it not be blessed to know the desire of the Lord in this matter? We should surely avoid anything that would bring our spirits into bondage about it, for we are called unto liberty. But let us not forget that the liberty of the Spirit is liberty to do as the Spirit leads. When I pray to the Lord then, is it not the joy and strength of my heart to know that He is in the place of power, crowned with glory and honour, and will I not delight to acknowledge Him as such, and address Him as Lord? Or when I bow my knees to my God and Father, will I not gladly own that my prayer is in the name of the One whom He has exalted in the Name of the Lord Jesus? Further, looking at it from another aspect, let us ask, is it not appropriate that we should call Him Lord? We ought not to forget the intimacy of the relationships into which we have been brought, or the tenderness of the ties by which His love has bound us to Himself, but we must always remember who He is, and what we are. He calls us His brethren. His Father is our Father, and His God is our God, but He does not take a place of equality with us and say, ‘Our Father and our God’. How delicately He teaches us this in His message to the disciples after the resurrection (John 20:17). He is not ashamed to call us brethren, but the grace that gives us such a place would itself teach us to call Him ‘Lord’. It is evident that the disciples usually addressed Him in this way, as appears in a remarkable manner throughout John chapter 20. We are not to expect commands to guide us in a case like this, but one word from the Lord ought to be a sufficient expression of His mind to any heart that is true to Him. He said, "Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well". We can be sure that when we shall stand before Him in the eternal glory to which we have been called, made like unto Him, faultless and blameless in His presence, we shall bow before Him and call Him, ‘Lord’. Ought we not also give Him His title of Lord now, in the time of His rejection here? Let us learn to speak of Him as the Lord. Let us address Him as Lord. Let us pray to the Father in His Name as Lord. God has declared that at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil.2:10,11). Let us give Him this honour from our hearts and lips even now. - Extract A.R.D.THE BELIEVER’S POSITION IN CHRIST Separated! Yes, separated. I cannot help myself - it is done. God has done it. He has separated me in Christ; and He has separated me to Christ. I am no longer my own. I am bought with a price. "Why are you saying farewell to the world"? you ask, "Are you going to die"? For that is what people say when they are going to die. No, it is because I have died already. I have died with Christ. I have been buried with Him by baptism into death. The death sentence has been passed on me in Him, and now God claims me as one of His own. Since the day I first trusted in Christ, God set me apart for Himself. Before that time my position in the sight of God was in the first man, Adam. But when I believed on the Lord Jesus, I found that God had placed me in a new position in Christ, the second man, the Lord from heaven. Now 1 realise with wonder and joy that God has separated me to Himself. The cords of His love encompass me. He has drawn a circle around me, as it were. It is not that the world and I must part. But it is this, that God has parted me from the world. Henceforth I am no more of the world, though still in it. My citizenship is in heaven, from whence I look for the Saviour. Did Christ find His joy in this world? How then shall I? For I am not In Him? Am I not crucified to the world? Is it not an accomplished fact that Jesus died, and I died with Him? You see I have been brought into an entirely new standing before God. I am in the "new creation", where all things are of God - all praise to Him! No judgement for me in the day of wrath - no more curse. Death and the curse have passed away. I have been bought into a large place. Such, beloved is the standing of every child of God. Such is the separation with which God has set us apart to Himself. Let us therefore abide in Him and walk in Him, and rejoice in Him, in that place where God has set us apart in Him. -WS TWO THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED In looking for refreshing from the presence of the Lord, there are two things to be borne in mind. 1. We are to expect no new revelation. Whatever truth God is pleased to use is to be found within the covers of our Bible, It is there already. It is instructive to notice in Old Testament revivals, such as in the time of Josiah (2 Chron.34:), and in the time of Nehemiah (Neh.8), that the means used was something written in the book of the law. This is still true today. Our Lord Jesus said, "I have given them Thy Word" (John 17:14). Nor does any of God’s Word require to be sacrificed or concealed. The fulness of the blessing and an open Bible must go together. "Every word of God is pure" (Prov.30:5). 2. All power is in the risen Christ. In Him all fullness dwells. In us there is nothing, or - what is worse than nothing - worldliness, waywardness and crookedness. Everything we can possibly need is already in Him, the great storehouse, and all that He wants from us is emptiness, so that He may fill us out of His fulness. May He Himself prepare the way of the Lord into many a divided heart. May we respond as David did in Psalm 132:4,5, "I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob". - Selected WHO IS THIS Who is this so weak and helpless, Who is this - a Man of
Sorrows, Who is this - behold Him
shedding Who is this that hangeth dying, - W.W. How.Please address Wholesome Words correspondence to: R.M. Goatley, |