Milo

18 NOVEMBER (PREACHED 1770)

A momentary glimpse within the veil

‘And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.’ Luke 9:33–34
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Acts 1:1–11

Peter and his companions awoke from their sleep but just in time to be eye-witnesses of their Lord’s glory and of the appearance of Moses and Elias. They were about to depart when he cried out, being struck with what he saw. He cried out, It is good to be here. Presently after, the whole was withdrawn. Some of the Lord’s people have been witnesses to happy moments when the veil seemed to be removing and they were upon the point, as it were, of getting a sight of things invisible, but they have hardly had time to recollect themselves and raise their expectations, before a cloud comes between and they are left at their former distance, convinced indeed that there were great realities, ready open to their view, but unable to recollect even to their own apprehensions what that wonderful impression was which so affected them. Something like this was the experience of the disciples; they were beginning to rejoice in what they saw, when a cloud overshadowed them and turned their joy into fear.
FOR MEDITATION:
A glance from heaven, with sweet effect,
The lightning’s flash did not create
Sometimes my pensive spirit cheers;
The opening prospect it revealed;
But, ere I can my thoughts collect,
But only showed the real state
As suddenly it disappears.
Of what the darkness had concealed.

So lightning in the gloom of night,
Just so, we by a glimpse discern
Affords a momentary day;
The glorious things within the veil;
Disclosing objects full in sight,
That when in darkness, we may learn
Which soon as seen, are snatched away.
To live by faith, till light prevail.

But shall I murmur at relief?
The LORD’S great day will soon advance,
Though short, it was a precious view;
Dispersing all the shades of night;
Sent to control my unbelief,
Then we no more shall need a glance,
And prove that what I read is true.
But see by an eternal Light.

SERMON SERIES: ON THE TRANSFIGURATION, NO. 8 [1/5], LUKE 9:34

November 17th

The external goal

By Myself have I sworn, said the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, … that in blessing I will bless thee.… Genesis 22:15–19 .

Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the reality of God.

‘My goal is God Himself …
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.’

‘At any cost, by any road’ means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal.
There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says—“Come,” I simply come; when He says—“Let go,” I let go; when he says—“Trust in God in this matter,” I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.
God’s revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God’s character.

‘Tis because I am mean,
Thy ways so oft look mean to me.’

By the discipline of obedience I get to the place where Abraham was, and I see Who God is. I never have a real God until I have come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ, then I know that “in all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee.”
The promises of God are of no value to us until by obedience we understand the nature of God. We read some things in the Bible three hundred and sixty-five times and they mean nothing to us; then all of a sudden we see what God means, because in some particular we have obeyed God, and instantly His nature is opened up. “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen.” The “yea” must be born of obedience; when by the obedience of our lives we say “Amen” to promise, then that promise is ours.

November 17

“Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” (Luke 18:6, 7.)

GOD’S seasons are not at your beck. If the first stroke doth not bring forth the fire, you must strike again. God will hear prayer, but He may not answer it at the time which we in our minds have appointed; He will reveal Himself to our seeking hearts, but not just when and where we have settled in our own expectations. Hence the need of perseverance and importunity in supplication.
In the days of flint and steel and brimstone matches we had to strike and strike again, dozens of times, before we could get a spark to live in the tinder; and we were thankful enough if we succeeded at last.
Shall we not be as persevering and hopeful as to heavenly things? We have more certainty of success in this business than we had with our flint and steel, for we have God’s promises at our back.
Never let us despair. God’s time for mercy will come; yea, it has come, if our time for believing has arrived. Ask in faith, nothing wavering; but never cease from petitioning because the King delays to reply. Strike the steel again. Make the sparks fly and have your tinder ready; you will get a light before long.—C. H. Spurgeon.
I do not believe that there is such a thing in the history of God’s kingdom as a right prayer offered in a right spirit that is forever left unanswered.—Theodore L. Cuyler.

17 NOVEMBER

Watch over one another in love

‘Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.’ Malachi 3:16
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Ephesians 4:1–16

To those who are stronger and more established: you remember the time when the conversation of the people of God was exceedingly helpful to you, and you were glad to be admitted among them. If you think you can do without it now, yet remember there are some at this time in the same state as you were then. Should not then a remembrance of your own case awaken your compassion and diligence to seek out and assist others? Again, when you used to have free communion with another, was it not good? Have you not often met a blessing and a comfort? Have not your minds been composed and refreshed and strengthened for every service you were called to? Why then is the habit discontinued? Why do any of you live alone, and to yourselves? Have you forgot that you are members one of another, and that you are not your own? Do you plead business and families? These things are to be attended to, but perhaps you had such engagements in times past and you did not neglect them, though you could find time to speak often one to another. If these are your hindrances it argues that all is not right. A ready and willing heart will find times and seasons and be content to suffer some inconveniencies for the sake of speaking often one to another. Take heed lest dryness and leanness insensibly steal upon your souls. What, shall it be said that the Lord hearkens and hears with pleasure, that he writes our conferences in his book? Has he given us so many causes to speak of his goodness and exhorted and charged us to watch over one another in love, and shall we like men in a storm shift each for ourselves, think we need no assistance from our brethren, or express no desire to be helpful to our faith? I hope this will not be the case. Away with our sinful backwardness and selfish excuses and let us join heart and hand; let us speak one to another—we have enough to talk of.

FOR MEDITATION: Let us exhort one another today, while it is called today, lest any of us be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin [Hebrews 3:13].

SERMON: MALACHI 3:16–17 [5/5]

November 16th

Still human!

Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31.

The great marvel of the Incarnation slips into ordinary childhood’s life; the great marvel of the Transfiguration vanishes in the devil-possessed valley; the glory of the Resurrection descends into a breakfast on the sea-shore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
The tendency is to look for the marvellous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want medieval haloes, we want something that will make people say—‘What a wonderful man of prayer he is!’ ‘What a pious, devoted woman she is!’ If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you, all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time.
‘Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!’ It takes Almighty God Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty to the glory of God. It takes God’s Spirit in us to make us so absolutely humanly His that we are utterly unnoticeable. The test of the life of a saint is not success, but faithfulness in human life as it actually is. We will set up success in Christian work as the aim; the aim is to manifest the glory of God in human life, to live the life hid with Christ in God in human conditions. Our human relationships are the actual conditions in which the ideal life of God is to be exhibited.