one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered, "I will guide
thee with mine eye," or as it should read, "I will guide thee with mine
eye upon thee." That eye up yonder, that eye which measures the depths
of the universe, which follows every planet, that eye which neither
sleeps nor slumbers, that all-seeing eye rests upon us. He is occupied
with each. The millions of His people who have lived and died, who
passed through life and are now at home with Him, were each individually
the objects of His care. His loving eye was upon the multitudes of
martyrs. He knew and watched that poor tortured saint, who was cast with
broken bones into a dungeon to starve to death. His power and love
rested upon those who were burned or cast before the wild animals. For
each He served and worked. And so He does still. Oh, the preciousness
that each believer is under the loving care of the Man in Glory, the
object of His love. Let us turn to a few Scriptures which reveal this
fact.
Living for Us.
In Romans v:10 we read:
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
What life is meant by which we are saved? Some have applied it to the
life of the Lord Jesus Christ before His death on the cross, as if that
righteous life, that perfect life, had any saving power in it for us.
Hence the teaching that the righteousness of His life is imputed unto
us. This is wrong. The life, of which this verse speaks, is the life
which He lives now in the Presence of God. When we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son. And now being reconciled,
much more are we saved by His life. By His life there, because He is
there, we are saved and kept down here.
Another passage in Romans may be linked with this. Romans viii:34:
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us."
The risen Christ is at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for
us. However, not in the Epistle to the Romans is this present work of
Christ as the intercessor of His redeemed people revealed, but in the
Epistle to the Hebrews. There we read in the ninth chapter, "For Christ
is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true: but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us." (Heb. ix:24).
And again in chapter vii:24, 25: "But this man, because he continueth
forever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them."
But notice all this is not spoken of those who are unsaved and live in
sin. The unsaved who are not yet Christ's have no share in all this. For
the unsaved world the Lord is not the intercessor. He declared this
truth first of all in His high-priestly prayer, when He said, "I pray
for them, I pray not for the world" (John xvii:9).
This was also foreshadowed in the Old Testament. The High Priest in His
garments of Beauty and Glory had upon his shoulders two onyx stones, and
upon his breast a breastplate with twelve stones. Upon both the onyx
stones, upon the shoulder and the twelve stones on the breastplate there
were names engraven. But these were not the names of the Egyptians, the
Jebusites, the Amorites or the Hittites, but the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel. Our high priest in the highest heaven carries His own
upon His shoulders, which typify His power, and upon His bosom He
carrieth them; the bosom tells of His love. We are the objects of the
power and the love of Him who appears in the presence of God for us. The
fact that the names of the Israelites were engraven upon these precious
stones also has a meaning. If they had been written there, they might be
blotted out. They were engraven and could never be erased. It tells out
the blessed truth of our security.
His Priesthood.
Two other passages in Hebrews reveal some of the blessed details of the
present priestly work of the Lord in our behalf. "Wherefore in all
things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself
hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are
tempted" (Hebrews ii:17, 18). "Seeing then that we have a great High
Priest, that is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us
hold fast our confession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like we are, apart from sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need" (Hebrews iv:14-16).
The first passage tells of the propitiation He made for the sins of the
people. He suffered, being tempted, and this is the basis of His
intercessory service. The passage from the fourth chapter tells us how
He was fitted while on earth for this great office work. While down here
He was tempted in all points as we are, apart from sin. From sin within
He could never be tempted, for no sin was in Him. He has gone through
the trials, the difficulties and sufferings a man who depends on God is
subject to while in this world, with the exception of sin. He has known
while on earth every possible difficulty. Now He can be a merciful and
faithful high priest and as such enter into all our sorrows and trials.
He sympathizes with us in all our conflicts and difficulties down here.
However, He does not intercede for the flesh--He has no sympathy with
sin. By His gracious and unbroken intercession in the sanctuary, He
upholds us individually in the path down here. He gives strength to
endure. If it were not for that intercession, we all would fall by the
way. How often God's people fear troubles and difficulties, losses and
bereavements, which might possibly come. What, if this favored child
should be taken from me, how could I stand it? Or, if I should lose her
whom I love? Or my health should fail? Perhaps my business and income
stops, how could I ever stand it? Often that which we fear comes upon
us. That loved one is taken and is put into a grave. Health fails and
the income stops; instead of plenty there is want. But with the trial,
with the loss, there comes such a strength to bear it all, and more than
that, real joy and songs of praise. It is because the great High Priest
lives and intercedes. He knows all about it and in the tenderness of His
love and the might of His power, He takes us in His loving arms whenever
trials and troubles come upon us. At all times under all circumstances
He is our representative before God and thinks of us.
And so it is with our temptations and our warfare with the wicked
spirits. The enemy we have is most powerful and intelligent. He knows
how to spread his nets. His wiles are most subtle. If Satan had his way
he would overthrow and destroy completely the people of God on earth. If
it depended on our strength, we would soon fall. But He knows. His eyes
watch the enemy as they watch us. Peter's case illustrates this
perfectly. He saw the old serpent as he moved on his way towards Peter.
He knew the cunning plan Satan had conceived to ensnare Peter. In Judas
he had entered and taken complete possession of the disciple, who was
never born again. He planned to fell Peter completely and rush him
afterwards into despair. But Satan did not reckon with Peter's Lord.
Before the plan could ever be carried out, the Lord had prayed for Peter
that His faith may not fail. And though Peter denied the Lord and fell,
the Lord's gracious intercession kept him through it all. And this is
still the case with us. He prays for us before that foe can ever
approach us and thus we can be victorious in the conflict and should we
stumble and fall, as it is so often the case, then He is the great
shepherd "who restoreth my soul." How much we owe to this blessed,
precious present work of our Lord in Glory no one knows. What blessed
revelation there will come to us when we shall know as we are known,
when we look back over our lives and behold what the intercession of the
Lord Jesus accomplished for us and all the Saints of God! We have a
great high priest who is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God.
Another phase of His priestly present work is recorded in Heb. xiii:15.
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
He presents our spiritual sacrifices to God. Our worship, our praise and
our prayers we address to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, are all imperfect, but as they are presented to God by Him, they
are acceptable unto God and delight the heart of God for that reason.
His Advocacy.
But there is a second aspect of His work in Glory in the presence of God
for His people. He is our advocate with the Father. Some Christians
think that the Priesthood and Advocacy of Christ are one and the same.
They are not. His advocacy is that which restores us. In the first
Epistle of John we read of this phase of His present work. "My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"
(John ii:1).
In the preceding chapter our wonderful privilege as the children of God
is made known. We are to be in fellowship with the Father and with His
Son Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Fellowship with the Father is
when we delight ourselves in His basket Son, who is His delight, when we
share the Father's own thoughts about Him. The Son knoweth the Father
and He has revealed Him and brought us into His own relationship with
the Father. Fellowship with His Son is to enjoy this relationship with
the Father. The condition for the enjoyment of this privilege in
reality, fellowship with the Father and with His Son is, that we walk in
the light as He is in the light. These blessed things were written that
we sin not. Sin cannot rob us of our salvation, but it mars the
enjoyment of that fellowship. The standard is that we sin not, and if we
live in constant enjoyment of that blessed fellowship into which grace
has brought us, we do not sin. But how often this is not the case. We
fall into sin. Then the blessed revelation is given: "If any man sin we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." How
grateful we ought to be that it does not say: If any man repent. The
Lord's intercession as advocate is independent of our repentance or of
our asking Him to do this for us. It is the exercise of grace in His own
loving heart toward us to restore our souls, to put us back into the
place where we can enjoy His fellowship. The moment the believer sins on
earth, He acts as the Advocate above. The Holy Spirit then likewise acts
in that He applies the Word to convict and cleanse. The cleansing is by
the water, the Word, and not a second time by the blood. Then follows
confession from our side and the restoration is effected. Also notice
that it does not say "we have an Advocate with God," but "with the
Father." It is a family matter, and the Father is a Father who can do
nothing but love those whom He has brought to himself through His Son.
The conception that the Father is angry with His sinning child on earth,
and that the Son of God by His pleadings inclines the heart of God to be
merciful, is an unscriptural one. Another reason why He acts thus as
Advocate is Satan, the accuser of the brethren. He still has access into
the presence of God. The day will come when He is cast out of heaven,
but that day will not come until the church has been caught up to meet
the Lord in the air.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night" (Rev. xii:9-10).
Because Satan accuses God's people before God day and night, the
Advocate is there to rebuke him. Every attack by accusation of the
sinning children of God, the Lord Jesus Christ meets with the fact that
He made propitiation; He died for their sins.
He Shall not Fail nor be Discouraged.
And this work of Himself as our Priest, the merciful and faithful High
Priest and our Advocate goes on up yonder uninterruptedly. In Isaiah we
find a word which speaks of Him, "He shall not fail nor be discouraged."
Well may we apply this to His present work as Priest and Advocate of His
own. As Priest He will never fail. He will never fail in being about His
own, in keeping them and sustaining them, in sending them help from the
sanctuary in time of need. As Advocate He will not be discouraged. The
same old failures in our lives, which humble us and break us down, but
He continues in this service in behalf of His poor sinning people. Some
Christians do not believe in the fundamental doctrine of the Gospel,
that a child of God in possession of eternal life can never be lost.
They think it depends on their walk and service. If one of His own could
ever be lost again, if even the weakest, the most imperfect could be
snatched out of His hands, His present work would be a failure as well
as His finished work on the cross. But read the great high-priestly
prayer He left for us in John xvii. There He prays the Father, who
heareth Him always, that His own may be kept.
His Work for the Church.
Another aspect of His present work is what He does for His church. We
can but briefly indicate what this means.
He is in glory the Head of the church. The church is His body, the
fullness of Him, that filleth all in all.
Every believing sinner is a member in that body. The risen Lord Himself
adds new members to that body. He puts each member into the body as it
pleases Him. Each member is guided and directed by Himself. He supplies
this body with gifts.
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers;
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ.
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ" (Eph. iv:11-13).
Thus He builds up from the Glory His own body. Some day that body will
be complete. Then we all come unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ. That will be when we see Him as He is. Then His
present work in behalf of His own, His coheirs, will be finished.
Brought home from this wilderness to the Father's house--safe
home--there will be no need any longer for His power and love to sustain
us. No more tears will then be shed, no more wounds of pain and sorrow
to be soothed, no more help is needed for the time of need; all that is
passed. Nor does He then need to exercise His office as Advocate, for we
are delivered forever from the presence of sin and sanctified wholly
body, soul and spirit. Sinning is then an impossibility. What a happy,
glorious day that will be!
III.
The Practical Results of His Present Work in the Christian's Life.
The fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is in Glory occupied with us should
lead us into a holy life which glorifies Him. That loving eye is never
withdrawn from us. If we were to remember this constantly, what a power
this would be in our lives! How many things would remain undone, how
many words unspoken, and how many other things done, if we were
constantly conscious of that eye which is upon us individually. He
represents us before God, and we are to represent Him before men. A
Christian is called to manifest Christ to be His representative. And
such a life, which is unto His praise and Glory, is made possible
through His blessed intercessory work and His presence in heaven. A true
Christian life depends much on this heart occupation with the Person and
work of Christ. As His presence up yonder and His service for us is a
reality to our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, we shall
walk worthy of the Lord, and His blessed work for us will constantly be
felt in our lives here on earth. What a joy it is then, as we reckon
only with Him, who knows us, to serve Him, to depend on Him. And how we
should shun anything which grieves Him.
Encouragement for Prayer.
These blessed facts of the Lord's loving interest in us and our life in
this present evil age, surrounded by dangers and evils of all kinds,
will be a great encouragement to us in our prayer life. We can go and
tell Him all about that which troubles us. If He is interested in
everything which happens to us, down to the smallest matter, then we can
go to him in prayer and tell Him about it. Some Christians teach that we
should not do this, but leave it all in His hands without praying for
it, satisfied that His will be done. But this is contrary to Scripture,
for it says that in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving we are to make our requests known (Phil. iv:6). He delights
to have us tell Him, and like John's disciples we can go to Him and tell
Him. His ear is always open. If in His service we become tired and
weary, we can tell Him, for He was tired on account of the way. If
hungry or without a resting place, He knows what that means, for He
passed through this. If lonely and our best services are misunderstood,
or the fiery darts of the enemy are aimed against us, we can speak to
Him about it. All this can be so very real to us if we but go on led by
His spirit.
Deliverance from Worry.
It should make an end of all worry and anxiety. We may possess a divine
carelessness. Be careful for nothing. Have no anxiety. Why should we
worry or be anxious? Worry is the child of unbelief. Anxiety can never
stay if the eyes of the heart behold the man in Glory and faith realizes
that all is in the hands of One "who doeth all things well." Worry and
anxiety accuse Him. Martha did that when she was encumbered with much
service and then said to Him, "Dost Thou not care?" Each time we give
way to anxiety, we act as if He did not care. But He does; and He would
have us rest in faith and commit all to Himself.
Sharing His Work.
In conclusion we must not forget that He permits us to have some share
in this blessed work of His. While He prays for us, we can pray one for
another, and for all the saints. He intercedes; we can intercede. He
washes our feet, typical of the cleansing by the Word. We are to wash
one another's feet. He carries our burdens, but the exhortation also is
that we carry one another's burden. He forgives and restores. We are to
forbear one another, and forgive one another, "even as Christ forgave
us" (Col. iii:13).
III.
HIS FUTURE WORK
The Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work on earth the Father gave
Him to do, who is now bodily present in the highest heaven, occupying
the Father's throne and exercising His priesthood in behalf of His
people, is also King. To Him belongeth a Kingdom and a kingly Glory. He
has therefore a kingly work to do. While His past work was foretold by
the Spirit of God and His priestly work foreshadowed in the Old
Testament, His work as King and His glorious Kingdom to come are
likewise the subjects of the Word of God.
Predicted by the Prophets.
His kingly work was announced by Gabriel to the Virgin. "The Lord God
shall give unto Him the throne of His father David and He shall reign
over the house of David forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no
end" (Luke i:32, 33). According to this message He must occupy the
throne of His father David, He must reign and possess a Kingdom. This is
but heaven's confirmation of what God's prophets for many centuries had
uttered in announcing the coming of the Messiah. The entire prophetic
Word has its climax in the visions of the King and the Kingdom, He will
receive on this earth. These visions of glory to come, for Him who was
despised and rejected of men, are the glittering stars shining
throughout the dark night of the past and present age. They dazzle the
eyes of faith. They inspire hope and courage. We quote a few Scriptures
which relate to the Christ as King.
"Yet I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the
decree: the Lord has said unto Me, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the nations for Thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession"
(Ps. ii:6-8). "It is He that will judge the world in righteousness" (Ps.
xi:7). "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord,
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the
Kingdom is the Lord's and He is the governor among the nations" (Ps.
xxii:27-28). "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King
of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory" (Ps. xxiv:9-10).
"All ye peoples clap your hands, shout unto God with the voice of
triumph! For Jehovah, the Most High, is terrible, a great King over all
the earth" (Ps. xlvii:2). "He shall judge thy people with righteousness,
and the poor with judgment." "Yea, all Kings shall fall down before Him;
all nations shall serve Him." "His name shall endure forever--all
nations shall call Him blessed" (Ps. lxxii:1, 11, 17). "Also, I will
make Him my Firstborn, higher than the Kings of the earth" (Ps.
lxxxix:27). "Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness" (Is. xxxii:1).
"Behold the days come, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth" (Jer. xxiii:5). "I saw in the night visions, and
behold there came with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man--and
there was given Him dominion and glory, and a Kingdom, that all peoples,
nations and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting
dominion which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom which shall not be
destroyed" (Dan. vii:13-14). "Behold the man, whose name is the Branch,
and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of
the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear
the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a
priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them
both" (Zech. vi:12, 13). "And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth"
(Zech. xiii:9).
All these prophecies and many more speak of the Lord Jesus as King and
bear witness of His Kingdom. The glories of His Kingdom are likewise
described by the holy men of God, the mouthpieces of the Spirit of God.
Not Yet Fulfilled.
Were these predictions fulfilled since the Lord Jesus Christ suffered on
the Cross? Have they been fulfilled since He entered the Father's
presence in Glory? Is He now exercising His kingly rule and authority?
Is the promised Kingdom of righteousness, of peace, of power and glory
now on this earth?
These questions arise at once in reading these divine predictions. They
must be answered in the negative. The Lord Jesus Christ has not even
begun His work as King. The Kingdom promised unto Him, He has not yet
received. There is now no such Kingdom of glory and power on earth.
The New Testament Evidence.