IT is always sweet to trace the grace of our Lord Jesus in His ways with His people. The Laodicean Church had turned away from Him―they had practically eluded Him, in whom was all their blessing― but He tarries at the door, and knocks for admission; and, with yearning of heart, proffers a word of counsel to them. The Lord loveth judgment, and would have them consider their ways; yet He forsaketh not His mints, although it may be needful that He should disown them, in a corporate capacity, as His public witness.
His appeal is very touching―His fingers drop, as it were, sweet smelling myrrh, while knocking at the door. The Laodiceans seem to have forgotten that they have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, and that except they abide in Him they cannot bring forth fruit: therefore the Lord reminds them that all true riches, wisdom, and strength, yea, all their springs are in Him whom they so slight, and who purchased the Church of God with His own blood. What tenderness, grace, wisdom, and faithful love His counsel bespeaks! It is as if He said to them, as to Israel of old, “Return unto Me, for I am married unto you.”
The life proper to a believer is a life of faith: he lives “by the faith of the Son of God.” Our felt need keeps us “looking unto Jesus.” To suppose that we “have need of nothing” is to cease to live by faith. Peter did not cry out, “Lord, save me!” until he was “beginning to sink”―his need compelled him to seek Jesus (Matt. 14:3030But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (Matthew 14:30)). Self-complacency, indolence, barrenness, and ignorance abound when the believer does not “walk in the light, as He is in the light,” in humble dependence upon the grace of God. When circumstances, service, or anything else is sought after to satisfy the heart, the grace of God is lost sight of, and a low and unhealthy condition of soul is the sure result. Laodicean circumstances were prosperous― “I am rich, and increased with goods;” but their spiritual state was “wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,” and they knew it not. Words of solemn import to us, beloved!
But there is restoring grace in Jesus as well as life giving grace―yea, all spiritual blessings. He counsels them to buy of Him “gold tried in the fire,” that they may be rich. Corruptible gold can only be rightly estimated by comparing it with that which rust doth not corrupt. Incorruptible blessings are to be had elusively of Him “who only hath immortality.” The common temptation presented to a declining saint is to recover himself by redoubling his diligence in outward service, but the counsel of the Lord is to come at once to the only source of blessing― “Buy of Me,” said He, though you are wretched, and miserable, and poor; come, “buy of Me,” without money, and without price. Nothing is more important, when we discover that we have failed, than at once taking refuge at the throne of grace, remembering our compassionate and pitiful High Priest―our all-prevailing Advocate. No increase of effort to serve can procure the restoring grace needed; but “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all righteousness;” or, though particular sins may not be laid on the conscience, the sense of a withered and barren state of soul should lead us to Him for refreshment, and new supplies of comfort and strength. “He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” May we never forget the loving counsel of Jesus; and may it be ours, beloved, to respond to these gracious words, “Buy of ME gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” He loves us to have true riches, but He well knows that every other refuge but Himself is deceitful, and that he who drinketh other than “living water” will only “thirst again.”
I presume that earnest prayer, self-judgment, confession, searching the Holy Scriptures, in dependence on the teaching of the Spirit, assembling together in the name of Jesus, seeking the Lord, waiting on Him, feeding upon His flesh and blood, &c. will characterize the conduct of those who buy of HIM “gold tried in the fire.” The meditations of the heart will be on “that Eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us,”― the glory and beauty of the “Lamb without spot,”―the undefiled purity of the Man that is Jehovah’s Fellow,―the immaculate perfectness of the “Holy Child” whom angels worshipped,―the exhaustless riches of Him who is full of Grace and Truth,―the unfailing sympathy of the “Brother born for adversity,”―the amazing meekness and lowliness of the “Man of sorrows,”―the unutterable sufferings of the sinner’s Friend,―the scorn, mocking, and crucifixion of “the Lord of glory,” and the forsaking of JEHOVAH, who made His soul an offering for sin, and brought Him into the dust of death,―the Good Shepherd laying down His life for the sheep,―His death,―burial,―His triumphant resurrection by the glory of the Father,―His exaltation far above all heavens,―His expected return, and other scriptural thoughts and views of the person, grace, work, offices, &c. of the Lord Jesus Christ, will characterize the heart exercises of those who buy of Him “gold tried in the fire.” How poor are they whose riches are all corruptible and pass away! What true riches, what an inexhaustible, unchanging, and eternal treasure we have in Christ Jesus! How strange that we should ever seek gladness or gratification in aught but Him! Our present joy, certainly, is to know Him, our eternal blessing to be with Him, and like Him, forever.
But the Lord Jesus may be the Object of our affection, truly so, and yet our walk come short of that which characterizes discipleship; and this will be, except we are enabled, by faith, to “stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” ―to realize our standing in Him, who is at the right hand of God―to appropriate God’s righteousness as ours. Hence the Lord also counsels the church at Laodicea to buy of Him “white raiment,” that the shame of their nakedness might not appear. That every believer has the righteousness of God the― “white raiment”―imputed to Him, is very clear; but it is quite another thing to live in the power of it―practically to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is this important truth that seems to me to be taught here, and so needful to be apprehended, in order to walk as faithful witnesses of Jesus, and to be preserved from the shame of manifested nakedness. If this blessed grace in which we stand be lost sight of, carnal confidence and self-esteem will be more or less nurtured, and an unspiritual walk result. The only preservative against this is the “white raiment” (and we cannot be said to be happy in our souls, or safe as to our steps without it): “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:1414But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)). In the Lord we have righteousness and strength. When abiding in Jesus, we “bear fruit;” severed from Him, we “can do nothing”―the shame of our nakedness appears. It is marvelous how liable we are to slide away from the apprehension of our standing in Christ, and to lean upon an arm of flesh. Those only will maintain a calm, even, godly step, who appreciate their standing and portion in Christ risen. There may, hover, be much zeal and stir in service, but the resources being carnal, the fruits will be of an unspiritual quality, and not for the glory of God: the shame of our nakedness will assuredly appear, if the “white raiment” be not appropriated. It is no marvel then that Luke warmness, poverty, and unhappiness of spirit should abound, when the soul refuses to give heed to that blessed relation of the grace of God which imputes “righteousness without works.” It cannot be otherwise, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. The heart, however, that with fervor receives, and abides in this rich grace wherein we stand, can rejoice in hope of the glory of God―can afford to mortify the flesh with the affections and lusts, and knows it to be no vain thing to suffer for His sake. Oh, to be kept abiding and walking in Him!
Perhaps there is nothing we so tenaciously hold as our own wisdom. Our sinful experience, and the condemnation of conscience, compel us to take refuge in the Saviour, and our daily sense of failure may be enough to constrain us to confess, “behold I am vile!” but to continually allow that we have no ability to perceive anything aright, but by the power of God, involves no little self-renunciation. One may say, that it is a more difficult thing to cease from our own wisdom, than to cease from our own righteousness. Job acknowledged he was vile, before he was brought to the confession that he had darkened counsel by words without knowledge, and uttered things that he understood not. Be this, however, as it may, it is clear that blindness had taken possession of the Church at Laodicea, because they lacked the “eye salve” which Jesus only can supply. If the heart be not in communion with God, there is no ability to see anything clearly either in ourselves or others. The Laodiceans were blind, and knew it not; they thought they had “need of nothing.” Self-confidence and spiritual darkness are generally associated together. We have need to extract the beam from our own eye, to be able to “see clearly” to take the mote out of our brother’s eye. The Lord counselled the Laodicean saints to buy of Him “eye-salve” that they might see. In proportion as we cease from our own wisdom, we are willing to be taught of God; we presume not to understand the deep things of God but by His Spirit; and when pondering His word, the earnest cry of our souls is, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law!”
Well may we say,
‘We have found a friend in Jesus.
There is no position, or circumstance, a child of God may be in, but His grace, wisdom, and power can meet―no difficulty from which He is unable to deliver, no wound that He is not all-sufficient to bind up and heal. Blessed it is for us when the Lord is the object of our affection, the spring of our joy, our treasure, our righteousness, our wisdom and our strength. May the Churches, now, have ears to hear what the Spirit saith!