The Resurrection Life

Barclay F. Buxton was one of the founders of the Japan Evangelistic Band, a group of missionaries who saw remarkable results of the Holy Spirit's working as the Japanese were converted to Christ and became vessels for the Lord Jesus' service. The following is taken from On to Sacrificial Service: An Exposition of the Song of Solomon:

". . . He [the Lord] gives us a revelation of what resurrection life is, and what it would mean to us in contrast to our past experience. 'The winter is past, the rain is over and gone' (ii. 11). Now He says: 'The flowers appear' (ii. 12). There is beauty in such a life. The beautiful flowers of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, spring up when there is resurrection life.

"And there is music and melody--'the time of the singing . . . is come.' 'The voice of the turtle' dove--the voice of the Holy Spirit, the voice of love and gentleness, that speaks in our hearts--a 'still small voice', that voice is heard, bringing us into sweet communion with the Lord (I Kings xix. 12).

"And, more than that, there is fruitfulness in the resurrection life--'The fig tree putteth forth her green figs'--luscious and sweet, and good for health (see also Jer. xxiv. 1-7). And there is the subtle fragrance of such a life. For 'the vines with the tender grape give a good smell' (ii. 13).

"So He puts before us all the blessings, the wonders, and the experiences that we may have. How true, then, was His assurance, 'Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.' Take hold of those words--'the winter is past'--all the winter that has been in our souls, all the gloom and the fog, the trial and the weakness. 'The winter is past, the rain is over and gone.' Sin is atoned for, and conquered. It is all past. How blessed to know that 'there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.' 'He that followest Me shall not walk in darkness' (Rom. viii. 1; John viii. 12). 'The winter is past, the rain is over and gone.' You may have experienced the winter and the rain very fully in the past, in the carnal, half-hearted Christian life, that is often gloomy, and weak, and cowardly in speaking for the Lord; but 'the winter is past', the Lord of resurrection says to each one of us, 'the rain is over and gone.' Trust His assurance that it has gone, 'reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,' and to the past and to yielding your members instruments of unrighteousness (Rom. vi. 11). Take for granted that He will now bring the light and the sunshine into your heart, with new understanding of the Scriptures, and a clear grasp of the way of salvation, so that you can put it before others also with the courage that a Christian needs to bear the cross and to lead others to Christ. Take for granted that all the winter is past, and now there is a time of joy and fruitfulness, of singing, and listening to the voice of the Lord Himself.

"Again He says to us, 'Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away.' 'My fair one.' It is the Son of God Who calls us by that wonderful title, for the precious blood has cleansed our hearts. That is real cleansing. It is cleansing that is thorough. 'Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,' He has said, 'and ye shall be clean' (Ezek. xxxvi. 25). In still stronger words He assures us that He has made us 'dead indeed unto sin' (Rom. vi. 11). Sin is that evil root of unbelief in our dispositions, from which springs our sins--sin has gone, by the power of the cross, and henceforth we can walk in newness of life (John xvi. 9, Rom. vi. 2-4). 'Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away.'

"Let us see to it that we have really come out from our winter experience into the light of resurrection life. I grieve to say that one may easily hear the call of the Lord to a new life, and not yield to it. One may enjoy a meeting, and perhaps say, 'I will come again, I like to hear that message,' and yet not enter by faith into newness of life. The great thing is, Have you yielded to it? Have you received it? There are many, who go time after time to Keswick, and have never found the fullness of blessing, nor yielded to the call of the Lord, 'Arise, and come away.' Their hearts have not gone after Him, for they are not hungering and thirsting for righteousness. They listen and are glad to hear, or to read books on holiness; but they have not got down with a broken and contrite heart, and responded to the call.

"And many hear the message, but do not believe it. They cannot believe that 'God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us' can quicken them, and raise them up together into the heavenly places, all at once (Eph. ii. 4). They doubt His power to do it. And so they go on in semi-darkness with no liberty, just as the Bride when she was shut up in her house.

"But we may be sure God is able to fulfil His promises, according to 'the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe' (Eph. i. 19).

"The Bride evidently gave no response to the Bridegroom's call to 'Arise, and come away.' So after a pause He calls again. How longsuffering and persistent He is! His is indeed the 'love that will not let me go'. He has doubtless dealt like this with each one of us."