The Lord’s Ascension Being to Produce the Church for the Building Up of the Body
Philippians 2:6-11 says of the Lord Jesus, “Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. ” These verses speak of a man who has been made both Lord and Christ in the universe.
We know that in His ascension the Lord Jesus was made both Lord and Christ and was given the name which is above every name. However, we may not know why the Lord Jesus was made both Lord and Christ. He was made both Lord and Christ for the producing of the church, that is, for the building up of His Body. Ephesians 4:8 says, “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men. ” Verses 11 and 12 say, “He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ. ” These verses show that in His ascension the Lord Jesus conquered and overcame Satan, rescued men from Satan’s captivity, made the rescued ones gifts, and gave them to His Body for its building up.
God’s intention in the Old Testament was to build the temple. However, after God gained His elect and after they entered into Canaan, the good land, there was still no possibility for them to build the temple. The Israelites could not build the temple because the land of Canaan was filled with enemies, and there was no peace within Israel’s territory. Not until the enemies were subdued and there was peace within Israel’s territory was Israel able to build the temple. This is a type. It shows that even though the Lord Jesus in His resurrection came into us as the life-giving Spirit to regenerate us and make us His spiritual Israel, we were still not able to build the church because He had not yet conquered the enemy. In order to conquer the enemy, the Lord needed to ascend to heaven and be made both Lord and Christ.
God's Creation, Man's Fall,
and the Lord's Redemption
Chapter 9 CWWL, 1965, vol. 4 (LSM)
In a previous chapter we saw that the Son came in the Father’s name (John 5:43a) and that the Son did things in the name of the Father (10:25). John 14:26 says that the Father sends the Spirit in the Son’s name. The first (the Father) sends the third (the Spirit) in the second’s (the Son’s) name. The Father does not do things by Himself alone. He does things in the Son’s name.
To do things in the name of another one is not only to be one with another person but also to be that other person. The Father sent the Spirit in the Son’s name. This is like writing a check but signing the name of another person instead of your own name. Usually, the person who writes the check signs his own name. But if I write a check and sign another brother’s name, it indicates, at least in part, that the other brother wrote the check. The Father “wrote the check” by sending the Spirit, but He “signed” the name of the Son by sending the Spirit in the name of the Son. The Father, as the Son, sent the Spirit.
In John 14:26 the Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son, but in John 15:26 , the Son sends the Spirit from the Father. When these two portions are put together, you can see that when the Father sends the Spirit, He does so with the Son. In the same manner, the Son sends the Spirit with the Father. Neither the Father nor the Son would do anything without the other. When the Father sends the Spirit in the Son’s name, He does it as the Son. When the Son sends the Spirit from the Father, He does it as one with the Father. Then when the Spirit comes, He testifies concerning the Son (v. 26). This shows the oneness of the wonderful Divine Trinity.
The Son was made the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15) and the Firstborn in resurrection (v. 18). In making the Son the Firstborn of the two creations, the Father gave the preeminence, the first place, to the Son. Colossians 1:19 says, “In Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell. ” The fullness mentioned in this verse is the fullness of the Godhead (2:9). This means that all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in Christ, who is God’s embodiment. The Father, Son, and Spirit were pleased to dwell in Christ. As the embodiment of the divine Trinity, the Son did not “consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7). The Son lowered Himself to be a slave, taking the form of man. He was happy to obey God even to the point of death—not an ordinary death but the death of the cross (v. 8). The Son was willing to be lowered and to obey the Father to such an extent. The Father honored the Son, the Son lowered Himself to obey the Father, and the Spirit, being sent by the Father and the Son, came to testify concerning the Son. While He was on earth, the Son did nothing from Himself (John 5:19, 30). Rather, He did everything by the Father according to the Father’s will. The three persons of the Godhead are mingled as one. The church’s oneness should be a duplication of the Divine Trinity’s oneness.
Lord grant us a love like this, that we would fain (treasure greatly, pleasure greatly) to have our thoughts, and heart and lives engaged in love and service to Thee. Thank you sister for the commentary of this family.
Joseph Stennett, this “earliest of English writers” was born at Abingdon, Berks. , England, in 1663. He received a superior education at the Grammar School of Wallingford, and at age 22 moved to London. In 1688 Joseph married Susanna, the daughter of George Guill, a French Protestant refugee. The next year he became identified with the “Seventh Day Baptists” at Devonshire Square, London.
Someone said of Mr. Stennett “It is difficult to keep the genealogy of this Stennett family perfectly clear, especially as more than one wrote hymns and handed them down for singing among people who took very little trouble to keep literary titles distinct. ”
The beginning of the line was Edward Stennett, (1627-1705) whose son Joseph was born in 1663. Edward was a dissenting minister and suffered persecution. His son Joseph, was a minister of the gospel and his son Joseph, whom he named after himself, was born in 1692. Joseph the Second was zealous from the time he was very young. He had a son named Samuel at Exeter, England in 1727. Samuel assisted his father in a Baptist chapel at Little Wild Street, London. Later he took over the work completely for 37 years.
Joseph Stennett died July 11, 1713. Among his last words recorded were: “I rejoice in the God of my salvation. Who is my strength and God! ”
It is also said of the Stennett generations, “Though grace does not run like blood in the veins, from one generation to another, yet the virtue of the prayers, and Godly example of Christians, does often descend through the hearts of their children through succeeding ages. ” This is exemplified in the Stennett family line.
In the opening of the meeting, we should not immediately make the central focus evident. The first hymn should be somewhat general. It is the same with the first prayer after the singing. In principle, the first prayer after the first hymn in the opening of the Lord's tab) meeting should not mention the bread and the cup. However, we need a prayer of high quality to introduce the saints to the central subject of the meeting. This is similar to the way that Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, uttered her words of praise (Luke 1:46-55). By reading her words, people sense that they are of a very high quality. If, at the opening of the Lord's table meeting, we select Hymns, #153, "O blessed Savior, is Thy love/ So great! So full! So free!" our prayer should continue the content of this hymn on the Lord's love. The introductory prayer cannot be lower than the preceding hymn, and it must always bring the meeting to its focus.
There are two additional points: If a wrong hymn is chosen, we need to correct it skillfully with another hymn. Another point is turning. This is similar to correction, but there are distinctions. If the wrong subject is introduced, there needs to be a turn. Every section needs strengthening with hymns and prayers. If at the beginning of the meeting we sense that the feeling of the meeting is the Lord's love, we may sing "Lord, Thy love has sought and found us" (Hymns, #158). Afterward, we need strong prayers to digest the hymn, point out the focus of the; hymn, and thereby uplift the spirit of the hymn. Then we need to introduce the subject. Introducing the subject of the meeting with prayers is inferior to using hymns. In every section it is better to use the hymns first and then use prayers for strengthening. At this time we may choose "O blessed Savior, is Thy love / So great! so full! so free!" (Hymns, #153). After singing this, we need some prayers to digest the hymn.
We also need to practice selecting hymns to introduce the subject of a meeting. For example, Hymns, #153, which says, "O blessed Savior, is Thy love/ So great! so full! so free!" not only can be used to introduce the subject but also can strengthen and uplift the spirit. This hymn progresses upward with each verse. It speaks first of the Lord's person, then of His work, of the Lord being like us, and finally of our being like Him. Our prayers following this hymn should similarly ascend level by level until we reach the climax, which is the Lord loving us to the extent that we are made the same as He is.