Scripture: "In that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you."—JOHN xiv. 20.
        Our Lord had spoken of His life in the Father: "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me." He and the Father were not two persons next each other; they were in each other; though on earth as man, He lived in the Father.

        All He did was what the Father did in Him.
This Divine life of heaven, of Christ in God, and God in Christ, is the picture and the pledge of what our life in Christ is to be here upon earth. It is in the very nature of the Divine life that the Son is in the Father. Even so we must know and ever live in the faith that we are in Christ. Then we shall learn, that even as the Father worked in Christ, so Christ will also work in us, if we but believe that we are in Him, and yield ourselves to His power.

        And even as the Son waited on the Father, and the Father worked through Him, so the disciples would make known to Him in prayer what they wanted done on earth, and He would do it. Their life in Him was to be the reflection of His life in the Fa¬ther. As the Father worked in Him, because He lived in the Father, so Christ would work in them as they lived in Him. But this would not be until the Holy Spirit came. It was for this they had to wait until they were endued with the power from on high. It was for this that they would abide in Him by daily fellowship and prayer that He might so do in them the greater works He had promised.

        How little the Church understands that the secret of her power is to be found in nothing less than where Christ found it, abiding in the Father and His love. How little ministers under¬stand to make this their one great object, daily and hourly to abide in Christ, as the only possible way of being fitted and used by Him in the great work of winning souls to Him. If anyone asks what the lost secret of the pulpit is, we have it here: "In that day"—when the Spirit fills your heart—"ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me."

        Blessed Lord, we beseech Thee, teach us to surrender ourselves unreservedly to the Holy Spirit; and so daily above everything to wait for His teaching, that we too may know the blessed secret, that as Thou art in the Father, and the Father worketh through Thee, so we are in Thee, and Thou workest through us.

        Gracious Lord, we beseech Thee humbly and fervently, be pleased to pour down upon all Thy children who are seeking to work for Thee, such a Spirit of grace and of supplication that we may not rest until we too are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Scripture: "When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him"(Proverbs 16:7).
        I must see that my ways please the LORD. Even then I shall have enemies; and, perhaps, all the more certainly because I endeavor to do that which is right. But what a promise this is! The LORD will make the wrath of man to praise Him and abate it so that it shall not distress me.

        He can constrain an enemy to desist from harming me, even though he has a mind to do so. This He did with Laban, who pursued Jacob but did not dare to touch him. Or He can subdue the wrath of the enemy and make him friendly, as He did with Esau, who met Jacob in a brotherly manner, though Jacob had dreaded that he would smite him and his family with the sword. The LORD can also convert a furious adversary into a brother in Christ and a fellow worker, as He did with Saul of Tarsus. Oh, that He would do this in every case where a persecuting spirit appears!

        Happy is the man whose enemies are made to be to him what the lions were to Daniel in the den, quiet and companionable! When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the LORD in all things. Oh, for faith and holiness; for these are a pleasure unto the Most High!

Scripture: “We are come to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”(Hebrews 12:24)
        Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus? The blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godliness. If you have truly come to Jesus, we know how you came—the Holy Spirit sweetly brought you there. You came to the blood of sprinkling with no merits of your own. Guilty, lost, and helpless, you came to take that blood, and that blood alone, as your everlasting hope. You came to the cross of Christ, with a trembling and an aching heart; and oh! what a precious sound it was to you to hear the voice of the blood of Jesus! The dropping of his blood is as the music of heaven to the penitent sons of earth. We are full of sin, but the Saviour bids us lift our eyes to him, and as we gaze upon his streaming wounds, each drop of blood, as it falls, cries, “It is finished; I have made an end of sin; I have brought in everlasting righteousness.” Oh! sweet language of the precious blood of Jesus! If you have come to that blood once, you will come to it constantly. Your life will be “Looking unto Jesus.” Your whole conduct will be epitomized in this—“To whom coming.” Not to whom I have come, but to whom I am always coming. If thou hast ever come to the blood of sprinkling, thou wilt feel thy need of coming to it every day. He who does not desire to wash in it every day, has never washed in it at all. The believer ever feels it to be his joy and privilege that there is still a fountain opened. Past experiences are doubtful food for Christians; a present coming to Christ alone can give us joy and comfort. This morning let us sprinkle our door-post fresh with blood, and then feast upon the Lamb, assured that the destroying angel must pass us by.

Scripture: “We would see Jesus.”(John 12:21)
        Evermore the worldlings cry is, “Who will show us any good?” He seeks satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the quickened sinner knows of only one good. “O that I knew where I might find HIM !” When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could pour the gold of India at his feet, he would say, “Take it away: I want to find HIM .” It is a blessed thing for a man, when he has brought his desires into a focus, so that they all centre in one object. When he has fifty different desires, his heart resembles a mere of stagnant water, spread out into a marsh, breeding miasma and pestilence; but when all his desires are brought into one channel, his heart becomes like a river of pure water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields. Happy is he who hath one desire, if that one desire be set on Christ, though it may not yet have been realized. If Jesus be a souls desire, it is a blessed sign of divine work within. Such a man will never be content with mere ordinances. He will say, “I want Christ; I must have him—mere ordinances are of no use to me; I want himself; do not offer me these; you offer me the empty pitcher, while I am dying of thirst; give me water, or I die. Jesus is my souls desire. I would see Jesus!”

        Is this thy condition, my reader, at this moment? Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven. Hast thou but one wish in thy heart, and that one wish that thou mayst be washed from all thy sins in Jesus’ blood? Canst thou really say, “I would give all I have to be a Christian; I would give up everything I have and hope for, if I might but feel that I have an interest in Christ?” Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free.

Scripture: "The hand of the Lord hath wrought this" (Job 12:9).
        Several years ago there was found in an African mine the most magnificent diamond in the worlds history. It was presented to the King of England to blaze in his crown of state. The King sent it to Amsterdam to be cut. It was put into the hands of an expert lapidary. And what do you suppose he did with it?

        He took the gem of priceless value, and cut a notch in it. Then he struck it a hard blow with his instrument, and lo! the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in twain. What recklessness I what wastefulness! what criminal carelessness!
Not so. For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with minutest care. The man to whom it was committed was one of the most skillful lapidaries in the world.

        Do you say that blow was a mistake? Nay. It was the climax of the lapidarys skill. When he struck that blow, he did the one thing which would bring that gem to its most perfect shapeliness, radiance, and jewelled splendor.
        That blow which seemed to ruin the superb precious stone was, in fact, its perfect redemption. For, from those two halves were wrought the two magnificent gems which the skilled eye of the lapidary saw hidden in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mine.
So, sometimes, God lets a stinging blow fall upon your life. The blood spurts. The nerves wince. The soul cries out in agony. The blow seems to you an apalling mistake. But it is not, for you are the most priceless jewel in the world to God. And He is the most skilled lapidary in the universe.

        Some day you are to blaze in the diadem of the King. As you lie in His hand now He knows just how to deal with you. Not a blow will be permitted to fall upon your shrinking soul but that the love of God permits it, and works out from its depths, blessing and spiritual enrichment unseen, and unthought of by you. --J. H. McC.

        In one of George MacDonalds books occurs this fragment of conversation: "I wonder why God made me," said Mrs. Faber bitterly. "Im sure I dont know what was the use of making me!"

        "Perhaps not much yet," said Dorothy, "but then He hasnt done with you yet. He is making you now, and you are quarrelling with the process."

        If men would but believe that they are in process of creation, and consent to be made--let the Maker handle them as the potter the clay, yielding themselves in resplendent motion and submissive, hopeful action with the turning of His wheel--they would ere long find themselves able to welcome every pressure of that hand on them, even when it was felt in pain; and sometimes not only to believe but to recognize the Divine end in view, the bringing of a son unto glory.

References: Further Study: Eph 2:15 Eccl 3:1 Heb 2:9 Gen 1
How can something new be created when Yahweh Father, Son and Spirit already fill all? Yahweh the Son has the intrinsic capacity to empty Himself to make room for something new. He has the capacity to create ‘in Himself one new man’. By emptying Himself, He created space for us, establishing the beginning of new creation. The Son establishes space, and the Holy Spirit establishes time; the tick of a clock. He sanctifies and separates every moment of every day. He appoints the seasons and establishes a time for every purpose under heaven. The Father establishes the end; a multitude of sons as the goal and purpose of His will. The Son established the beginning of the process so that it could proceed to this end. And the Holy Spirit pushed apart end and beginning, with His two wings like a dove, and time began! Therefore, there’s ‘a time for this and a time for that’. ‘And it came to pass’ by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. So it’s the Holy Spirit, with the Father and the Son, who by His power establishes and sanctifies the new creation. You have to go right back before the beginning to find this most amazing dialogue and faith of God for something new. The first statement in Genesis says, ‘In the beginning God created … and the earth was formless and void’. Where once there was only the fullness of God, suddenly theres a created space! At this time, the angelic heavens were already in existence. And as the Son stooped, humbling Himself to this creation, Satan and a third of the angels were resisting Him. They withstood Him for they did not want this new creation that was ‘made lower than the angels’ to proceed to the inheritance of all things.

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References Further Study Gen 31:13-14 Psa 132:2-5 2 Sam 7 2 Sam 7:3 Phil 1:27 Phil 2:2, 5 2 Cor 13:11
The blessing of Abraham belongs to all of those who have the faith of Christ. Indeed, this was the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All of these fathers were resolute and intent upon building the Lord’s house. Certainly, the Lord fulfilled the vow of Jacob. He spoke to Jacob saying, ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me’. The tangible evidence of this fulfilment was various. Firstly, the Lord gave to Jacob wives who became the mothers of Israel. The Lord also prospered Jacob with great abundance. And finally, He brought Jacob again to the land of his fathers, thus fulfilling the first aspect of Jacob’s vow. King David likewise aspired to the faith of Abraham. He swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob. It is a simple yet profound point that the Lord said to David, ‘Do all that is in your heart’. We are, of course, quite clear that the desire to build the Lord’s house was the all-consuming desire of David’s heart. He was a man after God’s own heart. And David walked in the faith of Jacob. The God of Bethel was to David the ‘Mighty One of Jacob’. The Lord could confidently release David to do all that was in his heart. We might suggest that this was a meeting of ‘hearts’. This verse can also be translated, ‘Do all that is in your mind’. We are reminded that we should let the mind of Christ be in us and that we should walk together in one mind. Our vows cannot be impulsive. We must also think about and discuss our vows, ensuring they are consistent with the mind of Christ.

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References Further Study Rom 6:16 1Co 6:20 Rom 12 1Co 7:23 Rom 12:1 1Jn 4:18 2Ti 2:15 Joh 15:16
The apostles have exhorted us to present ourselves in three distinct, but implicitly connected, ways. Firstly, we are to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness. In so doing, we negotiate the obligations of redemption. We have been bought with a price and we are not our own. Secondly, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. In this way, we can demonstrate the perfect love of God. This is not to suggest that our love is perfect, but if we abide in first love, then love will be perfected in us. We know that perfect love casts out fear. If we walk in love, then sin will not be revived, bringing forth fruit for death. Thirdly, we present ourselves as workmen not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. First love is alive within us when we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. In this way, Jesus demonstrated the love of God by laying down His life for us. This does not only mean that He died for us. All the more, He laid down the very essence of His person and brought forth a many-membered body. And He has ordained us and laid life down to us that we might bring forth fruit. He is the High Priest of our confession. And we are to priest offerings in righteousness in exactly the same way that He did. By this means, we prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Nevertheless, we must be prepared to learn what we are not, as much as who we are. This is the exercise of faith. This is not simply believing in the fact of the resurrection. When we present ourselves to someone as their slave, we demonstrate faith toward them. This is the meaning of faith toward God.

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References Further Study 2Co 12:9-10 Heb 13:13 2Co 11 Psa 27:5 1Co 2:3 Rom 8:26 2Co 11:30
Where does Jesus Christ, as the Apostle-Slave and High Priest of our confession, meet us? He meets us at the point of our infirmity; our reproach. This is the key. We are not reaching up to find a fellowship in which there is no blood flowing, no suffering, travail or weakness. If there is no blood flowing, there is no fellowship. So then, through faith in His blood, we can make a shift into fellowship, right here and now. The transfer takes place in relation to the blood of Christ. We need to ask ourselves, ‘In whose reproach are we engaged; and whose blood is being shed?’ If we are feeling unresolved, it would be better for us to admit that blood is being shed and pain is being experienced. We are suffering for our own faults, or for those of others. Then we can exercise clear faith to join the fellowship of Christ, rather than remain in a quandary, ruled by self-justification and condemnation. We simply admit that we are weak and in need of the resurrection power of Christ. We can see why Paul ‘boasted’ in infirmity. Not only that, he also declared, ‘I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches … in distresses, for Christ’s sake’. The book of Hebrews carries the same message when we read of having an altar – one that draws us to ‘go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach’. It is at the point of weakness, of reproach for our failure, that the power of Christ can ‘rest [Gr. tent, tabernacle] upon [us]’. This is amazing! This is a key in discovering ‘the secret of His tabernacle’, just as King David found. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings is the secret of His tabernacle.

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