Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isa. 60:1,2.
A week ago tonight the text with which the lesson closed was this same one. And you remember the question was asked at the end of the reading of those scriptures which we were then studying, Is not this the time? Is it not now time for the fulfillment of this text which we have been reading, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee"?
On Sunday following there came this word, and it was read in the Conference:
"Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."
This was the point which we had reached by a number of different lines of study and that is the point where we now stand. He who will claim that light and that glory by faith can have it. [Congregation: "Amen."] He who does not, cannot have it. I read a passage to you from Brother Prescott's talk the other night, on page 444 of the Bulletin. It is a word of caution and instruction which he gave us that is worth repeating:
"It is so easy for us to get wrong ideas about these things and in that way we ourselves be deceived about it. I have thought that some would have a wrong idea about what is meant when we say that we must go forth in the power of the Spirit, and that we must have power when we go forth."
So have I, and that has been done. But we had the caution over and over several times at the beginning of the Conference, against anyone setting any theory or fixing any thought as to how this thing that God had given, was to come. Because as certainly as we should think how it was going to come, that is the way it would not come. That is the one way in which it would not come at all. It would not come that way and could not possibly come that way.
"I do not understand that to mean that we are to come here to be consciously loaded up so that when we go from this place we have a certain feeling of a conscious power in our own selves that has been given to us and that we have it and carry it with us and can handle it, as it were, and measure it and look at it and when we need it take it out and use it."
I would not want to guarantee to you that nobody in this congregation had got that idea about it. I was especially pleased one morning in the ministers' meeting--those who were there will remember what I refer to--when one of the brethren got up and gave his testimony in regard to the manifestation of God's blessing and presence during the meetings of this Conference. He has jotted them down on paper in a long list. If every one of you had been marking the tokens of God's special favor in these meetings instead of looking for something you will never see, you would see vastly more than what you see now. I mean that we are not to have our ideas fixed that the Lord must work in a certain way and in that way look for something that will never come.
"'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore. . . . Lo, I am with you.' The power is in Christ, not in us, and the having the power is the personal presence of Christ in us."
And when we have that personal presence of Christ in us and with us, the power is from Christ then and not from us.
Here is a thought: The apostles were not always able to work miracles at will.
"The Lord granted His servants this special power, as the progress of His cause or the honor of His name required."--Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 135.
A good many people think that when the apostles went out endued with the power to work miracles and all this, all they had to do when they came to a man who was sick was to work a miracle and restore him. There was nothing of that kind at all. They could work no miracle at all, except as the Spirit of Christ with them signified the will of God in that case. So that--I care not how great apostles they were--they were dependent upon the direct guidance of the Spirit of God in each individual case and all the time, and that means us.
"The power is the personal presence of Christ in us," and the having the power is that, "and that does not necessarily mean in the sense of a thrill of power in us all the time, but it means an abiding faith that Christ is in us," and it means not only an abiding belief in that but an abiding consciousness that He is there, that His power is there working in us, with us, for us, through us, always and in all things, to the glory of God alone, not at our bidding, not at our guidance in any sense.
"And then when we go out, no matter what the difficulties are we are not appalled by them, because of the conscious faith that Christ is with us and He is all-powerful. Well, when He is with us in the fullness of His power, our faith grasps Him continually. It is not a question of feeling the power; it is a question of knowing the power."
Now we have found in our study also that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us. What do we find the blessing of Abraham to be? [Congregation: "Righteousness."] How? [Congregation: "By faith."] And Christ redeems us from the curse of the law that the righteousness which is by faith might come on the Gentiles, i.e., on us, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. How did we receive the righteousness? [Congregation: "By faith."] Did you have a certain kind of whirl of feeling before you could receive that righteousness? [Congregation: "No."] Did you have a kind of whirl of feeling, a thrill or great commotion before you could know whether that righteousness was yours or not? [Congregation: "No."] How did you obtain the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ? [Congregation: "By faith, and believing His word."] You know that God said to you and me in His word that that is a free gift to every man who believes in Jesus, do you not? And then you accepted that free gift, and thank God that his righteousness is your own; that is how you obtain it, and that is faith. Now, that was received and can only be received ever by faith alone.
That is received by faith in order that something else may be received by faith. What is that? [Congregation: "The promise of the Spirit."] Then, as we found that the righteousness of God upon His people is the one thing, the only then, the all in all, the fitting up of the people for receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the outpouring of it, at God's own will--as we have found that that is so and that is received by faith, then in order to receive the other at all, it must be received exactly as that was received, that is by faith. Then, when God tells you and me--having given us His righteousness and we having received it gladly have therefore accepted it in its fullness by faith as God intends us to receive it and it is made our own by Jesus Christ bringing it to us--then when God tells you and me: "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of God is risen upon thee," and when you and I do as God says, and arise by faith in Him, He will see that we shine. [Congregation: "Amen."] When He tells you and me that His glory is risen upon you and me which is by faith of Jesus Christ, then you and I are to thank Him that His glory is risen upon you and me. Thank Him that that is so and take our stand deliberately, fairly, openly, and candidly and honestly before God, under the canopy of angels of God and His glory which He gives, and then if He does not see that we shine, that is His fault. We need not doubt but what He will see to that.
Now, that message: "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee," is as certainly and as distinctly the message of God to you and me and through you and me as ministers to the people from this day henceforth, as was that message four years ago of the righteousness of God which is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. [Congregation: "Amen."] [The speaker upon request, restated the last proposition.] And the people of today who reject this message, which is now the message of today, as they rejected and slighted that four years ago are taking the step which will leave them everlastingly behind and which involves their whole salvation.
God has given us a message and has borne with us these four years in order that we might receive this which is now the message. Those who cannot receive that message are not prepared to receive this message, because they rejected that. And now when God gives the other in special measure in order that this may be received and both together are slighted, then what can become of those blind eyes? What can become of them!
So as we have been called upon to state several times during the Institute and this work, It is a fearful time. Each meeting is a fearful thing. But, brethren, though that has been so in the time that is past and of the meetings that are past, this meeting tonight is the most fearful one that we have yet come into.
So I turn again to the text and I say again that the message there given to us is the message for you and me to carry from this meeting. And anyone who cannot carry that message with him from this meeting had better not go. Anyone who cannot go from this meeting with the living consciousness of the presence of Jesus Christ in its power, with His light and His glory upon him and in his life, that minister had better not leave this place as a minister or as a professed minister, because he goes to a work that he cannot do. He goes to meet a people whom he cannot meet. He goes to meet responsibilities that he cannot meet. He goes to meet solemn scenes that he will not understand. He goes to take steps that he knows not which of the next ones will be to him a fearful one. That is where we are now, brethren and sisters.
It is for us now to face it and face it joyously, too. It is for us to face it, I say, in all its solemn responsibilities; to face it with all its fearful consequences. But we are to be so prepared by faith in Jesus Christ and clothed with His own righteousness alone and depending upon that alone--so prepared by this to face it, that we can face it with joy, with the confidence that God goes with us and desires to manifest His power and go joyfully and gladly to meet the scenes that are to be met, to take up the work that is to be taken up, and to meet the solemn responsibilities and scenes and actions and occurrences that will come, always gladly in the Lord.
That is for us. We need not be a particle discouraged because this is so. We ought to be the gladdest that we ever were in this world that we are there tonight. [Congregation: "Amen."]
Let me read that text again to get another thought out of it: "Arise, shine, for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory. . . . " Thou shalt see upon thyself? His glory ye shall see in yourself and upon yourself? [Congregation: "No! No!"] "His glory shall be seen upon thee." Let it.
Do not go about superintending that thing. That is none of your business. You are not to regard that matter at all. If it is the glory of the Lord, He will take care that it is seen upon you. You would not know that it was the glory of God if you should see it upon yourself, because it is not self-glory. When I see glory upon myself there will be self-glorification. Don't you see? It is not self-glory that we are seeking. It is not self-glory that God is going to manifest to the world. It is the glory of God that He is going to manifest. It is that glory that is going to be seen.
Therefore it says what it means and means what it says. "His glory shall be seen upon thee." Thank Him that it is so, for He says so. Thank Him that He says so. Then thank Him that it is so because He says so. Then let Him do it. You have nothing to do with superintending that at all, just keep yourself out of it. He who undertakes that will lose the whole thing. Don't you see it is the same heart work there?
We want righteousness but so many people want to see it in themselves and upon themselves before they will believe that they have it. But don't you see that they will never get it in that way? They never will get it until they put self out of the way, until they turn their backs upon themselves and look at His word. Then when we turn our backs upon ourselves and look upon Him whose this glory is and in whom it is--when we look to the place where this glory is, then each one will know from that time that it is his so long as he looks to the place where it is. "We all with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory" to what? [Congregation: "To glory."] Has His glory appeared to us? [Congregation: "Yes."] Has it? [Congregation: Yes."]
Let me read that blessed text in 2 Corinthians: "God who commands the light to shine out of darkness." He did it once, didn't He? [Congregation: "Yes."] He has done it again. Darkness covered the earth; gross darkness. God commanded the light to shine and it did shine. Again He says, "Darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee." His light shall be seen upon thee, and therefore He says: "Arise, shine, thy light is come." Again, He has commanded the light to shine out of darkness. [Congregation: "Amen."] Is that not so? [Congregation: Yes."] He hath shined in our hearts." Well, then, He has done it, has He not? Are you saying that? [Congregation: "Yes."] I do not mean that you shall say that merely because it is in the text, but I want you to say it because in your heart you know it is so. By that yielding of the will, that submission of the will, that laying all upon Him--that is faith.
Well then, He says so. Now we can go on with this text: "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts." Has He? [Congregation: "Amen."] Now can you thank Him that He has? [Congregation: "Yes."] Anyone who can thank God that God has shined in His heart, thanks Him from the heart; he can thank God that he does stand there by faith. He can do this just as certainly as he can thank the Lord that his righteousness is His own.
Let us read some more of that verse: "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts." Thank the Lord. What is it for? "To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God." Has He given you the light of the knowledge of His glory? [Congregation: "Yes."] Has He? [Congregation: "Yes."] Has not His glory arisen for you and me? Has not His glory then arisen for and upon each one of us and is each of our hearts? Has the light not shined as God commanded it to shine?
We will continue the text: "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Then the man who can look with open face into the face of Jesus Christ, who can thank God with His whole heart that the glory of God is risen upon him, then God will see to it that that glory shall be seen upon him. Brethren, that is so, and O, that every heart in the house tonight might lift his face, unveiled, to that glorious face that shines so gloriously and graciously upon the sons of men and hath saved us from our sins and transformed us from glory to glory into His image--from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Then that Spirit has come to those who can look into the face of Jesus Christ. And that Holy Spirit which God gives to those who look into the face of Christ will transform us into His own image and we shall see His glory reflected and men will see His glory too. Brethren, it is so, and tonight we must receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Moses was with the Lord that time in the mount, and when he came down his face shone with the glory of God. How much did he know about it? Nothing at all. "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone." He did not know anything about it; the people knew about it. Did these people who saw the glory on Moses' face have faith? [Congregation: "No."] Moses had faith in order that it might shine. The faith of Moses received it in order that it might shine, and when it did shine from his face, though he was unconscious of it, even the unbelieving people could see it.
Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin--men whose hearts were steeled against God and against His Christ--but his face shone with the glory of God as it had been the face of an angel, and all they that stood in the council looked upon him and saw it. Did Stephen know it? No. It was not Stephen's glory. He had nothing to do with it. God was there in that presence, because that Stephen had such faith in Jesus Christ and was looking with unveiled heart with unveiled face by faith into the face of Jesus Christ and when he did that the glory of the Lord was risen upon him and the heathen and the worse than heathen--the wicked Pharisees--could see the glory of God upon him.
We have found in our study that the work today stands exactly as it did where the apostles left it. Well then when that promise of the Spirit came upon the people in that day, God manifested His own power, in His own way, at His own will, upon those who were His. That is the way He will do it again.
Let us read that verse again now. "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts." Don't forget it. Well, how can we forget it. It is so, is it not? "To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Then we found in the lesson last Friday night that we were to obtain the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, by looking into the face of Jesus, and while we look there, receiving that righteousness more and more, being molded more and more into His image, the law of God stands there in all its glory witnessing that that is the way to look. We found that that was the occupation of the angels also in heaven. "Their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven." Well, then, brethren, when we go into the company of angels, looking where they look, to receive what they are looking there to receive, and the law witnesses that it is our own, then why shall not that blessed canopy cover us? And that is the covering of God drawn over His people. So then the requisite to this is the faith that lifts up the face to the face of Jesus, and it is not because of our goodness but because of our need.
[By permission of the speaker, Prof. Prescott read the following:]
"The hand of the Infinite is stretched over the battlements of heaven to grasp your hand in its embrace. The mighty Helper is nigh to help the most erring, the most sinful and despairing. Look up by faith, and the light of the glory of God will shine upon you."
Elder Jones: I did not know that that was there, but brethren, we can be thankful that the Spirit of God guides us to it here. And do not forget this passage that we have been wanting to get to so long and now it comes in just exactly: "Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. . . . Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
We have studied this before--that the righteousness of God without the law is manifested by the law. There is another phrase: "Being witnessed by the law and the prophets." Do not forget for a moment or fail to remember always that where the righteousness of God is, which is obtained by faith of Jesus Christ, the prophets of God will stand in that place and witness to that man that he has it. [Congregation: "Amen!"] That means at this time, for he is coming to us now. So, I am glad that the Spirit of God has led us to it in His way and His prophet stands and witnesses that that is true and that we have the truth in that thing as it is in Jesus Christ and as shining from His holy face. [By request the quotation was read again.]
Then, brethren, look up. Then, when we see the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon earth distress of nations, then look up; lift up your heads. Rejoice, for your redemption draweth nigh. Look up, because that comes alone by looking up in the face of Him that has said it. We need to look up, for that brings the righteousness, the glory of Jesus Christ, and it is that glory which makes us immortal. But it is the same glory that consumes. We are to look up. He wants us to look up in order to receive it. And He wants us to look up before that great day in order that we may look up in that day.
Now the Lord wants us to look up and He tells us what it is for. Look up and reach up the hand by faith, and He will take it. Then let Him. Then when God takes that hand of faith, He will hold you and me more securely than we could possibly hold Him if we took His hand. You see, it is the same way as we many times lead our own little children along. We hold their hand, and when they stumble, they do not fall. At other times we have been walking along, and they have had our hand; then they have stumbled and fallen. Thank the Lord, He says, "I will take your hand." Then, though we stumble, we shall not be cast down. [Congregation: "Praise the Lord!"] Oh, God is good.
[By request the following text was read: "For the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isa. 41:13.] When He says, "I will hold your right hand," Oh, let Him have it. Then you have no uneasiness at all.
"God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." In connection with that I will read: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." What is His glory? Let us be sure of that. Here is a message which we had some time ago, to which I will refer you, on page 16 of the Bulletin:
The work will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ's righteousness is to sound from one end of the world to the other. This is the glory of God which closes the work of the third angel.
Then that glory is that righteousness, that goodness, that character, of His own. Where then do we see righteousness alone? [Congregation: "In the face of Jesus Christ."] As we look at that, what effect has it upon us? It changes us into the same image--transforms us into the same image from righteousness to righteousness, from glory to glory, from character to character, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Well, arise, and shine, because the light has come. That is the Lord's command. That is why I said before--that is the message from this day henceforth as certainly as it is received. It is that to us. It is in fact the same thing, as certainly as it was four years ago, only with increased splendor, with increased power. Now, with the accumulated force of four years' exercise, God puts it forth to His people. The proposition is again: Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Who will? Who will? [Numerous voices: "I will."] Good! Do it. How long will you? [Voices: "Always."] How constantly will you? How often will you? [Voices: "Always."]
I tell you brethren and sisters, those who will do this will find in their lives a subduing power such as they never knew before. It will bring that poverty of spirit and that humiliation of soul which will give the Spirit a chance to work in His own wonderful way. That is where we are. Well then, Arise and shine, because the light has come, and the glory of the Lord hath risen upon thee.
I will read from page 137 of the Bulletin:--
"'To him who is content to receive without deserving, who feels that he can never recompense such love, lays all thoughts and unbelief aside and comes as a little child at the feet of Jesus, all the treasures of eternal love are the free and everlasting gift.'"
All these treasures are a free and everlasting gift to us who have nothing with which to obtain it. The Lord says they are mine. I know they are mine too, for He says so. And I am going to thank Him all the time.
Now there is another splendid text which we must read, that speaks to us now. Isa. 52:1:
"Awake, awake." We have been asleep, have we not? You know that we have. "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion." Put on what? Strength. We have found by examining the situation in which we stand that we need a power, we need a strength that is greater than all the power that this world knows put together. We have found that we need strength, have we not? [Congregation: "Yes."] Then we need it for this message just now. Put on your strength; you have got it. "Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem." What are the beautiful garments? [Congregation: "Righteousness."] The fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. "To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." This is the righteousness which comes by faith in Jesus Christ. And here likewise is a word which the Lord addressed to us in this Conference. In the Bulletin, page 408, I read:
"At this time the church is to put on her beautiful garments--'Christ our righteousness.'"
Well then, there it is: "Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city." What is she putting on her garments for? Where is she going? O, she is going home; she is going to the wedding supper, thank the Lord, and the people who went to the wedding suppers in those times had to have garments that were prepared by the master of the feast, and the Lord does the same thing now. [Congregation: "Amen."] Brethren, let us all thank the Lord; let us be thankful all the time.
But that is only a part of it. Here is the most blessed promise it seems to me, that ever came to the Seventh-day Adventist church. "For henceforth there shall no more come into thee, the uncircumcised and the unclean." Thank the Lord. He has delivered us henceforth from unconverted people, from people brought into the church to work out their own unrighteousness and to create division in the church. Church trials are all gone; thank the Lord. All mischievous talebearers and tattlers are gone. The church now has something better than that to talk about. They can now talk of saving fallen men and women. They will have a goodness and a joy, and a holiness and a glory that is in Jesus Christ, to talk about, which is real indeed, and we know it.
That is a splendid promise. And do you not see how alone it can be fulfilled? When we go forth from this place, knowing nothing at all but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, refusing to know anything but that, refusing to preach anything but that, depending upon His power, depending upon His glory, knowing that it is come and that He has commanded us to shine, then it can be fulfilled. Do you not see that nobody will be drawn to that except those who are drawn from the heart and in whom the heart is converted? Do you not see that you yourself will know that they are converted before they are taken into the church? "No more shall come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."
Brethren, there is another thing that belongs there now. When God has graced His church with His power and His glory and the power of His Spirit, the most dangerous place in this world for a hypocrite to be in is that church. Ananias and Sapphira tried it, and that lesson was recorded as a lesson to all people, from this day forward, at least. There is no place now in the Seventh-day Adventist church for hypocrites. If the heart is not sincere, it is the most dangerous place that that man ever was in in the world.
Then, those who are not going along with this work had better get out quick. It is dangerous to stay here if you are not going along, and we cannot go along without having the glory of God and His light shining in the heart and in the life. We are to be called to stand before kings and before authorities and to speak against the oppressions and the wickedness of persecutors carrying out their venom against those who would love the Lord. "Awake, awake. Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust. Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of they neck, O captive daughter of Zion."
Liberty is now proclaimed to the captives. Praise the Lord. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." "Shake thyself from the dust; arise and sit down O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money." Good, that is accomplished.
"For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause." Then what did He do? [Congregation: "Delivered them."] Exactly. Then when does this apply? At the time of deliverance. Then we have reached that time, have we not? We have reached the time of oppression, and when that time of oppression has come, then the time of God's wondrous deliverance has come too. So let the oppression become more severe; let the fire become hotter. It only shows that deliverance is that much nearer. Thank the Lord.
"Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? They that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed." That is so. They have done it already. "Therefore my people shall know my name." What is His name? I AM that I AM. They will not only know about Him. They will know that He is what He is too, and He is the Almighty. And His people, knowing His name--the All-powerful One-- will know His power manifested in them, for them, to them and through them.
"Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore, they shall know in that day that I am he that doth thus speak. Behold it is I." I am the one that is talking now. Good. Then what? "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
Let kings and powers and governors and States--let them exalt themselves as much as they please. God has given you and me a message to the people--"Thy God reigneth." "Thy watchman shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing." Why, of course, He said long ago we should sing as we go on the way to Zion.
"For they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." Brethren, while we look into the face of Jesus Christ and that light shines into our minds and hearts, we need have no trouble at all in seeing eye to eye, even though you are on the other side of the earth and I on this side. There will be that companionship of ideas and truth that will bind our hearts through the center of the earth. God is in it, and that is why it is so. God can make it so. There is no other power in the universe that can make it so.
"Break forth into joy." Why not, I would like to know? We need not have a special meeting to break forth into joy; it is not necessary to jump up and down and kick over the benches and chairs. It is the joy of the Lord and not fanaticism. It is not a feeling that is wrought up by such demonstrations.
"Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people; he hath redeemed Jerusalem." the Lord hath comforted His people. He has done it, hasn't He? Well, then, let us praise the Lord for His comfort.
"The Lord hath made bare his holy arm." He is going to do something now. When a man has something to do and begins to roll up his sleeves, you know he means business. The Lord has taken that familiar figure to show the earnest work He has undertaken and that applies right now. He has made bare His holy arm--hath rolled up His sleeves--He is entering into a work now that will create a sensation, as in the days of Samuel when he said to Eli, "He will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle." Let us see that our ears tingle with joy. "The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Let them; let them.
"Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence." That means cut loose from this world, does it not? Are you cutting loose? Have you departed? Have you bidden farewell to earth? [Congregation: "Yes."] Is the world under your feet? [Congregation: "Yes."] Not only is it under your feet but is it stamped under your feet? I know and you know that when we separate ourselves from all things of this world, God can and does give you and me the consciousness of something that is better than all this world put together.
"Touch no unclean thing." That is the same word as that used in 2 Corinthians: "Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight." No, we are not going to be scared or afraid of anything. "He that believeth shall not make haste." He is in no hurry. The Lord never gets in a hurry, but He can take His own good time and lots of it too. He that believeth shall not make haste. Another translation has it, "shall not be ashamed," another, "shall not be confounded," or not easily be put off his balance.
And by the way, you will find yourself called to places where there will come a perfect storm of voices and tongues from twenty different sides. Then you do not want to get in a hurry or get off your balance. Then is the time when you are not to be frightened and run away. Oh, no! He has put us in the world to stay here just as long as He wants us here. "Ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward." Good. He is the vanguard and the rearguard. He is the advance guard and the rear guard also. That is good company to be in.
Brethren, that is the message now. That is the message that you and I are to carry from this place, and he who cannot carry it should not go. Oh, do not go. As we have been exhorted by the Spirit of the Lord in this place, let no one go without the consciousness of that abiding presence power of the Spirit of God. No one need go without it. For it is obtained and kept by faith in Him, into whose face we look, in order that we may receive by faith the righteousness of Jesus, that we may be prepared to receive and do receive the Spirit of God by faith.