The Conflict

There are two things which, when considered, bring out into light, in a simple way, the position in which the Christians at Ephesus were standing when the apostle addressed them.
First, we find the intimation of better things to come connected with the scene in the garden of Eden: " The seed of the woman."
Second, that particular development of the truth in which we stand; that that very " Seed of the woman," having had His heel bruised, is up in heaven, the Head of a body, which body is on earth filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.
I should like to rest a little in detail on these two points. They seem to bring out the needs-be of suffering for a redeemed people.
When Eve had been beguiled-when she had got under the power of the adversary-there was One spoken of by God as " the seed " to come, and, in what He was to do, there was a ray of light for the man and the woman; there was a hope introduced; but a hope which brought with it the certainty of suffering for those who were the possessors of it. If I look at it-this intimation thus come forth from God -it is plain that the setting up of a power in opposition to what they had sold themselves to, must be at some cost to themselves.
There is great joy in seeing God's Son put in the place of power-Lord of all-all put under the sway of this " Seed of the woman." Test your thoughts of the gospel by this; not merely its meeting the need of your lost soul, but my God, setting up His own power in the hand of His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
But how could it come to me, devil possessed as I am by nature, without suffering? How can this light come in contact with darkness? It will find that in me which is ever ready to lend itself to Satan, even " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." Can this new thing meet all the evil in me without there being conflict from beginning to end? Our position must be one of endurance-of suffering -of wrestling " against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in heavenly places." God is going to establish His power, and that will overthrow all the natural thoughts of my heart.
Observe the exquisite grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in connection with redemption as displayed to us. Are you saved sinners? That enables you to say: " Not a, cloud above; not a spot within." Is it something you have done? No; this something God has done for you; and every step of the way afterward too it is the same; all is God. God will not let the people come out of Egypt under His power, and then leave them under their own wills. When they were out of Egypt He left the way apparently open for them, to prove whether they had a God or not. If they would go back He would stop them; He would not head their retreat. He would break them down; He would have a "willing " people-would make them take His will for their will; His position for their position; He will make us take His God for our God, as Ruth said to Naomi; He will form us in heart to be willing to have the portion of our Lord here below.
What was the difference between Paul and the Hebrews? It was that Paul was not satisfied just to begin; he would hold fast-would be " firm unto the end." They went forth, their he arts failed them, and then they let slip.
But these Ephesians had got fast hold of the truth, and the truth had got fast hold of them; so to them Paul writes, led by the Spirit, to strengthen them for conflict. He would have them above the fear of the power of darkness; if these were high, God was higher still. They need not be daunted; He would have them raising their heads; would have them know that there was a living Head for them in heaven, as well as a head in heavenly places to their enemies.
" Be strong in the Lord."-How could they stand in such a position-living members of a living Head-how could they stand down here where He had been, occupying a place between Him and the enemy, and not be suffering? Impossible!-He, when in this world, was the " man of sorrows." In His grace He had left them down here, that it might be truly brought out that there was such a thing as a heavenly Christ. And all who are partakers of the heavenly portion are born to suffering-dare not expect exemption from it; far from that, they must be willing and ready to endure it.
I found it one thing, when God, with mighty power, let His light into my conscience as a prisoner in the world, having the joy of salvation, and getting out of the house of bondage; and quite another, the being there alone in the wilderness with the God who has brought me out. It is one thing for God' to have brought me out of Egypt; it is another thing for me to be on the other side of the Red Sea. And when He says: How do you like walking with me alone in the wilderness? there comes in the thought of the leeks, and the onions, and the cucumbers; not, as before the deliverance, the pinch of the prison, the oppression of the task-master, the escaping from the spears of the Egyptians under shelter of the blood; but being in the wilderness, having to learn what is in our hearts.
God- challenges our hearts as to how far we prefer wilderness fare with the living God, to Egypt's fare without Him Do not be discouraged if you find yourselves on the other side of the sea beginning to count the value of a leek or a melon. You will think of them, just because you are poor wretched things. God counts on what you are; He counts not to find a single amen to one single bit of grace that He has given you. Do not be discouraged, but take care not to fall as Israel fell. They fell, not because they found their hearts did not tally with God's heart, but because of their determination to have their own will-to have way s and resources that were not God's, and the not seeking in brokenness of heart to know His; this was why they failed.
Take care it is not so with you. He can give you hearts not to know a leek or a melon. There is nothing He cannot do. If I know my God, it is not with me: Oh, the sorrows of the way! but: I am in the place where God would have me. I am with Christ, and it is far better to be without a leek than to be without such a Christ. I can bear the yoke with Christ.
And God can form this in our hearts for us. He does not want to learn that there are no spring in us, but He wants us to look in and see that there are none. We must learn it by failure, or in His presence in communion with Himself.
Just notice the peculiar position of those who came in from the time God gave the first word about the " Seed of the woman," till the time when God shall be all in all. When He set up a kingdom in man's hand, He was obliged to make good certain things against the powers of darkness. When it was an earthly testimony, the Jew found that obedience did not bring him into poverty, but into wealth. But it was not so with the Lord Jesus, and we are heirs with Him. He was poor; yet He did not want-never, wanted. God would take care to feed His Son. And there is a monstrosity comes into our minds when we think with anxious care about our wants, or think that, because we follow One who had not where to lay His head, we are to want. Did not God take care for that Son of His? You would not think of temporal need, and fear it, if you were in the light of the Lord Jesus. It is quite a different thing for Him to hide from you the channels through which He will care for you, and forgetting you. This winding up of the epistle is most important. Paul's heart was enlarged; how should he stop short of God's thought about them? He had blessed them with " all spiritual blessings;" how could the apostle help reminding them that these were given to them that they might use them, and that,, too, at the present moment for God’s glory. We go to the Lord with a burdened heart, and bring it away with us, because we have the cross still, and do not understand His way. But) when we know Him, better, we are content the cross should be there, because He cannot take it off until it has done its work upon us, and so His Father be glorified. We say: The cross is too "heavy. He says: No my Father put it there, and, if I take it off, the flesh will break out; the cross must remain until the will bends to it.
You will often find yourself in a Pi-hahiroth; sit still and watch. Moses' sister was in a very blessed position; the little ark had gone out among the bulrushes, she sits down and watches. It was a blessed place for faith to watch, and see what was done. If you cannot sit still and wait for God, you are not in the right position.
Do you say: But we have given all up; now what will the end be? How will the Lord show Himself?-Sit down before God, and say: Thy ways are too great for me; what wilt thou do?
There is a largeness about His ways that beggars our understanding. It goes beyond His people's requests Many of the restrictions the people of God suffer come from themselves, because there is not simplicity to say: What wilt thou do? Abraham's intercession stopped at ten; but God goes farther, and takes up the desire of his heart. If I leave God to act He will act much more munificently than if I say: Do this, or do that.-" He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" " The wiles of the devil " are methods-methodical actings; it does not mean " fiery darts " merely. Leighton observes: " It is not the half-laden caravans he cares to attack." He may retire when the heart is not keeping watch; and elsewhere just come in, and cause the heart full of joy to get a fall.
Christians want more quietness. There is often too much haste in accrediting what we fall amongst. Much truth may be believed-many high truths assented to-such as union with Christ, and the like; and yet it may come out after all, that the heart has never known the taste of grace, not knowing itself the chief of X sinners. What then is the good of all that knowledge? There has been much of the wiles of Satan in it. You get no good from truth unless it bring your heart into communion with Christ. God putting home the points of truth and making them home-stores, that is really good. There may be quantities filling the imagination, and much talked of, and written about, but the question is: Do I know this Son of God who became Son of man for me? He who came down into all my need as a Savior.
" We wrestle." We must not only be prepared for active service-for going forward; but we must be ready to stand against the immense array of opposing power. And this is much the more difficult of the two-to hold fast for your own soul what God holds fast for the church in Christ. I do not think the thought of " flesh " and " world " is excluded here, but it is not these only, but their " rulers." It is not only the world, it is the master of the world; not only the flesh, but the master of the flesh that we have to contend with. It is not a question whether you can break this or that bad habit in yourself, but there is that great power of darkness above you, who only found his match in One.. When the Lord was here he tried Him, but could not overcome Him in anything; and the way He acted is ours. The more power Satan put forth the more Christ left Himself in the hands of God.
And none can be a match for Satan now but He who baffled him entirely and set him aside. Christ did not either exhaust His power in doing it; He carried a perfect righteousness all through. And now I can overcome, because the blood is what Satan can never stand against, and God has said He will destroy Satan under our feet shortly. Trial you will have; you will be tried to the very bottom. Would to God you might be always " more than conquerors; " but depend upon it, whenever you are, you will have nothing to boast-in but Christ.
Another thing of importance is faithfulness to others and to one-self. I see two souls, one, perhaps, carrying a burden a thousand times heavier than others; and he walks quietly, just having as much as he can bear, and no more. I see another, with a very little burden, who breaks down. None but God can judge about these two; God and Christ can. Remember you have not come to the end yet. To one who has a trial which seems to him past all bearing, I, would say: Cannot you identify yourself with God's counsels? and say " I will glory in my' infirmities."-In judging, you must consider not merely the weight of the trial, but the character of the vessel, and the nature of the strength given. The weakest vessel cast into the hottest furnace, if the Son of God be there, will come out unhurt; while the strongest will be burnt up if the Son of God be not there. Is my girdle broken? Shall I say He has laid too heavy a burden on me?
It is a very important thing to see what my walk has been, and what the state of my heart is. Perhaps He will say to me: Your eye is not single enough; you are truly looking to me, and desiring my glory, but you do not see yet how I am sure to meet you. God says: I do count my Christ worthy. Do you ask me to fill you up? Well, I count Him worthy, and therefore I can fill such a vessel as you! It is not a question of whether I will give it to you, but whether I will give it to my Christ. It is often the case, in trial and conflict, that we give ourselves credit for something more than we have; then he has to make us open our hand to let it go. I must take the', place of having nothing, and act simply on what God is, and on what Christ is, and not be vindicating myself as Job did. When God comes in to vindicate, how graciously He does it!
There must be patience. God will try you; He will make you know that the springs are not in yourself; He would have you sure that you have none in yourself, just by your being filled up with those springs that are above, that others may see it too.