GRACE LEADING INTO THE DIVINE WAY
[p. 354] GRACE LEADING INTO THE DIVINE WAY
Isaiah 30:21; Acts 18:24 - 28; Mark 10:51,52
These scriptures are read this evening because they teach us as to the divine way. First as to those who, as called by grace and affected by grace, are regarded as in that way in measure, but not wholly, the voice is from behind, “This is the way”. Then an example of one in Apollos who is in like manner partially in the way, not wholly, but ready for adjustment, a man who having received light was accurate, not slovenly, in his use of the Scriptures or in dealing with divine things; he was an accurate man. And then thirdly one, in like manner an example, who was ready for light and help and received light and help and followed Jesus in the way, that is, one ready for leadership, but leadership in the way, as in much else, of course.
Now it will be observed that this section in Isaiah begins with verse 18, “And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he lift himself up, that he may have mercy upon you; for Jehovah is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion, at Jerusalem”. Isaiah 30:18,19. So that this instruction in the verse read is in relation to the outshining of grace. We shall not be amenable to adjustment and leadership according to God save as we are genuinely affected by grace. Some have come into the way ostensibly, unaffected genuinely by grace. They become hard in the way, difficult to help, and they grow up, if young, in households, without learning spiritually. If heads of houses, whilst they may have the Scriptures, pursue regularly what others do, through being unaffected by grace and as wanting in spiritual instinct which goes with the teaching of [p. 355] grace, they may take on methods current around in the religious world. So the need, dear brethren, of being affected by grace, for grace teaches. Nature teaches; there are many elements of teaching. Grace is peculiar as preparing and creating soil for divine seed. Whereas we may externally take on the very greatest things and be sincere to a point, we may yet fail to take in the impressions that we need to be fitted for heaven, fitted for the testimony here. For there is to be co-operation, not only so, but unity, whether as saints or whether as levites specially fitted to serve. The need for co-operating, cohesion in our operations with our brethren and fellow-servants, is very great and grace affords the soil in us for that teaching that makes for perfection. So that God may say triumphantly, ‘They are all taught of God’.
Now an illustration of this we have in “Abinadab on the hill” 1 Samuel 7:1, a significant phrase to add to his name, him into whose hands the ark was committed, the most precious possible thing to have in one’s house. “The time was long” 1 Samuel 7:2 in his house symbolically. The children coming in, growing up in that house of Abinadab on the hill would surely come under the teaching involved in the ark. So many thoughts converge on it that every time one looked upon it or thought upon it a divine thought would come into one’s mind, were one spiritual. And yet after many years when the ark was to be moved from that house it was placed on a new cart and the two sons of Abinadab, or grandsons, for the time was long, drove the cart. Where was the teaching? Where was the influence of grace operative, that in all these years that family had not learned what was proper to the ark? Does it not suggest, dear brethren, what is current often, that we have the external form of things, even the reading of the Scriptures with our family, attending all the meetings, pursuing all that is current and led by spiritual men and yet be [p. 356] unaffected by grace, what the ark, of all things, should have suggested? And what is the thought, what is the instruction, the moral bearing of the facts? That that man, honoured, living on a hill, ostensibly in moral elevation, had himself failed to profit by the presence of the ark in his house, and his children correspondingly had failed to profit by it. I say nothing now of the failure of David in allowing the new cart, but Abinadab had more to do with the ark than David up to that time, much more. David had thought of it far away. He thought of its unsuitable position. Did he know that Abinadab was not learning from it, he would think even more feelingly about it. So that he fails too in the matter. I mean the Scriptures record that he said nothing against the new cart, but the onus of the failure obviously is with Abinadab who had had the greatest opportunity of acquiring knowledge of the ark. Surely the Scriptures would go with it, and the thought, were he at all spiritual, would come every day to them, Am I acting suitably in relation to this precious thing which I am entrusted with? But apparently there never was such an enquiry or he would have referred to the Scriptures that govern the ark, nor did his sons apparently gain anything. Even in their youthful minds they failed to look into the Scriptures and to acquire the spirit proper to the ark and to its residence.
I mention that, dear brethren, to show how, apart from the influence of grace in our hearts and minds, we shall fail of that instinctive ability to receive divine impressions, to learn divine lessons and to know profitably from childhood the holy Scriptures as inspired of God. They were certainly profitable to instruct this favoured man and his family as to what was proper to the ark, but that family failed. You see, therefore, that apart from grace, the influence of grace, we shall fail, although we may have all the [p. 357] forms. They come down to us as read in the Scriptures, and as others, godly men, have led and have instructed us in them, and we shall be in danger, unless rightly affected, of taking on something, if not everything, something at least of the current religious customs. They may seem right, they may seem profitable, but in result we shall find just what came out in the household of Abinadab. We shall be carrying on in something that is inimical to the testimony, to say nothing more, and deflecting from it, deflecting toward another direction. That is all I had to say on this scripture, so striking, as I understand it. “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it”. It is a voice in the way. It is not, That is the way, it is, “This is the way”. Whatever way you turn, this voice is to be heard today. It is the end of the dispensation. “This is the way”, and if I see this, there must be something in it that is tangible, that is evident, as being the way of God. That is the next thing. “This is the way”. Those of us who have anything to do in active service know well, with heaviness too at times, the hardness of the soil, the dullness of the ear, and how real christians, as we speak, are ready to go a little way and then they see the bear in the way and turn back. Indeed the very chapter from which we read in Mark indicates one who ran to it and then left it.
And so I proceed to Acts, a title that is to be observed as to this book in Scripture, meaning that things were done. Some of us lately were engaged a little with a word by Peter in his first address at Jerusalem, how he called attention to the prophet Joel, the coming in of the Spirit, how sons and daughters of the people should prophesy, not become prophets and prophetesses, but prophesy. How young men should see visions, not of course be visionaries which is a word which carries further [p. 358] than what is meant here, that they should really as of old see visions, such as Paul saw, for instance, at Corinth; the Lord appeared to him in a vision. The thing was operative; there was such a thing as that, and men dreaming dreams and menservants and maidservants prophesying. Some of us were speaking about this and it is characteristic of the Acts. The very title, it seems to me, is divinely chosen although not formally so, as I understand, but it means a book of doings, a book in which we hear that things were done. And that is, dear brethren, what I believe is important, that God is looking for things to be done. I believe the force of that well-known expression in Ephesians 3 is that Christ as operating is in our hearts, dwells in our hearts by faith. “That the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts” Ephesians 3:17 — the Christ, the One who does things, and I believe that is what governs this remarkable book from which I have read, and it really implies the divine way. It is more what was done in a concrete way than what was required to be done. The apostles, of course, form the teaching governing it, but it is more what is done than what is required to be done, as if God would show with pleasure the effect of His own work in His people.
And so this remarkable man, Apollos, is representative of an independent work of God, not indeed that this word is to be understood as different or antagonistic to anything else; it is that God was working in Alexandria in relation to partial light, that is, the baptism of John, for God follows light, however partial it may be. There is much said about light; it is one of the most remarkable terms in the scripture, as to the qualifying words especially, as the apostle Paul uses it. I believe in this very scripture in Isaiah it says that the sun will be sevenfold brighter and the moon too will become brighter. But then we have corresponding gradations in the other direction [p. 359] and the baptism of John did not afford the clear shining from heaven that belongs to christianity, but it was nevertheless light, and there are myriads of our brethren with whom God is working, but His Spirit is greatly hampered because of the imperfection of the light that is shining, the imperfection of the truth presented to them. But this man was not the only one of the kind. We have others in the next chapter, who, although at Ephesus, were in like manner the subjects of the work of God in relation to the baptism of John. But this man Apollos is exceptional in the sense of being endowed with great powers, eloquence. He had evidently a mind for accuracy, most important, and I refer to him in the course of my remarks because of the need of being adjusted in every respect so that the work of God may not be hampered in any of us personally or in those whom we may touch or influence. If it is imperfect in me I shall certainly damage, to that extent, those whom I may touch or influence. Happily there were two persons in the audience listening to this man who knew the way of God. Thank God for that! The Lord speaks significantly about “two of you”, Matthew 18:19 and surely Aquila and Priscilla, though husband and wife, came under that head. How happy indeed if a husband and wife can be so classified. They are two, of course, although one in the inscrutableness of union God has set in the human race, but they were two of the assembly, these two persons. The mention of them in the Scriptures is equal, one before the other, three times the one and three times the other mentioned first, as if God would indicate how pleased He is with two persons who think aright, who think together, who are united in the testimony. And how He would use them. They were in this audience in the synagogue at Ephesus. One can understand how Aquila would look at Priscilla: That is good what that man is saying, but again he [p. 360] would shake his head and say, That is not quite right. And so Priscilla would respond with equal intelligence and feeling, and hence they are both ready to serve this remarkable man, and surely, dear brethren, that is an important thing to be ready to observe the imperfections in persons in whom God is working, to observe the imperfections, and feel them and see that the persons are not damaged by them. Imperfections are standing in the way of the work of God and yet we can see that he is a subject in a remarkable way of the work of God, and such a man as is greatly needed in the testimony. We cannot afford to allow him to be damaged. We cannot afford to allow him to proceed with his service without seeking in the way of grace, in the way of God, to help him. And they would look at each other and would say, See how accurately that man quotes from Moses, see how accurately he quotes from the prophets. Being Spirit-taught man and woman they would observe how he could quote Scripture and with what force, for he mightily convinced the Jews; he was effective so far.
And hence as he finished, one can visualise the position, dear brethren, how these two dear people would get near to him and speak to him, recognising with feeling the work of God so far in him, but it says, they took him to them. I suppose they had a dwelling, they lodged in some house in Ephesus. I suppose they would invite him to their dwelling-place, their lodging; they would not challenge him in public before his listeners. They would take him, perhaps quietly, aside to their lodging and would with divine grace and feeling raise the question with this dear man and say, Now you see you said so-and-so, while you were speaking. We greatly enjoyed what you said and we can see that God greatly helped you, but you said so-and-so and you know, dear brother, that is not just right. Apollos would [p. 361] listen, a subject man will listen. He will not defend himself; if a brother or brothers call his attention he will listen and look into the Scriptures. We see how these two dear people patiently instructed him and he would correspondingly patiently listen and subsequently patiently learn and become taught of God more exactly than he had been. Nothing that he had that was right would be lost, but rather be enhanced. Now he is clear in his mind and hence you observe that it is said, “When he purposed to go into Achaia, the brethren wrote to the disciples engaging them to receive him, who, being come, contributed much to those who believed through grace”. Note that, dear brethren, through grace! For that is the way. “For he with great force convinced the Jews publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ”. That was the great end. He would use the Scriptures now more mightily, more effectively, in that he had been taught more exactly the way of God, not simply the way, but the way of God. That is where the moral issue lies, that God had got a way in this world. He is on it. It involves teaching and it is a question not exactly of our feet literally, but our minds and our affections, how we travel, how we look at things, how we move on spiritually: it is in the way of God.
We learn in the beautiful teaching of Numbers 10, that as Israel began to move in their first movement, the ark went before them three days’ journey to search out a resting-place for them. And that is the idea as to the way of God. So God could say later that He had travelled with them in the tent, never asking for anything better, for love will go that way and that way was suffering. The power of God is in it, dear brethren, and the more accurately we know it the more effective we shall be. We shall not need much convincing if it is the real truth of God. So that Apollos is now taught, instructed in the way of [p. 362] God more exactly and hence the brethren received him. There is no difficulty about him at all. Had he failed to listen to Aquila and Priscilla, we may be sure there would be no happy commendation of him at the next meeting, but evidently there was a happy commendation of this great servant, and so sensitive was he, so keen was he spiritually in regard of a greater servant, namely Paul, truly without rivalry of him, that when he heard of the state of things at Corinth, Paul says, it was not at all his mind to go now. Undoubtedly he was indicating that he had thorough sympathy with the lead that God was giving amongst the brethren. He would not be averse to Paul; he would be with him, and that, dear brethren, is the effect of grace in our souls that we are amenable to all this and amenable to the finest sensibilities and seemliness in the testimony, that we cannot afford to cross in any way the lead that God gives by His Spirit.
Well, finally in the passage in Mark, a well-known gospel passage, it is well to observe in this blind man the morally elevating power of the light that had come to him, how he was right, for what is recorded in our verses is, “And having heard that it was Jesus the Nazaraean, he began to cry out and to say, O Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me”. The peculiar touch there, dear brethren, is to be noted that he did not take up the appellation, ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, but ‘Jesus, Son of David’. Who told him He was Son of David? He was a blind man. Is it not to call attention to the soil for the testimony that God particularly honours? He had brought about that soil. The great thread of the testimony has come down into his soul. It was not common religious reverence, but a truly exalted thought that he gave expression to, “O Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me”. And the Lord, as we have often heard, could call him and did, and we are told,
“[p. 363] Jesus answering says to him, What wilt thou that I shall do to thee? And the blind man said to him, Rabboni, that I may see”. It is not only now the grace that is affecting him, but great intelligence is marking him. Where did he get this title? What does he mean by calling Him Rabboni? He is a companion of Mary Magdalene in this. As you know, she is looking backwards and she says, Rabboni — Teacher. She had been with the Lord and learned from Him; this man had not been. What does he mean? Well, he means, or the Spirit of God means in bringing it to us here as it stands, that this man is a potential learner; he will learn, he learns subjection. He is ready to listen to anything that comes from Jesus, as Mary of Bethany too sat at the feet of Jesus and heard. This man would never question a right doctrine. He might not understand, but he would learn; he would give way to instruction. “Rabboni”, he says, “that I may see”. I will be one of Your disciples, that is what he meant. “And Jesus said to him, Go, thy faith has healed thee”. He is going his way and that is the way to learn from Jesus, that is the way, and from no one else, not that Jesus will not use others. Those whom He would use were the apostles and we are told that the early converts continued in the apostles’ teaching, indirectly Christ’s teaching. The Lord is looking for this, dear brethren, in the gospel. If grace affects us the evident response is, Lord, I am going to be in your school. What influence the schools exert today over the children! The enemy is using them peculiarly to affect the children, but a true convert of the gospel will say, I want to be in the school of Jesus, the school of God, and that I think is what this man implied, “Rabboni, that I may see”. He would read the Scriptures properly; he would read the book of Genesis properly when he gets his sight; he will read the book of Jonah and know that it is the [p. 364] inspired writing of God. He will be proof against the insinuations of the devil in modern times. How essential, dear brethren, and especially for young people, that as grace affects us we refer to the Lord in this way. All teaching in a true sense must come from Him. It is divine teaching from whomsoever it may come, for it is indeed even the unction, “Ye have the unction from the holy one”. He is the Holy One. Christ is the Holy One; God is the Holy One too. The unction is to bring in all that and make us independent of men’s teaching.
And so this man is ready for all that is to come, and what a field is opened up to him, and hence he followed Jesus in the way. Of course it must be in the way if I am following Jesus, but that is not enough. The way is announced and so as one proceeds in the next chapter, you all know this way leads us into the most rich surroundings, Bethphage and on to Jerusalem, all the spiritual thoughts that centre in that territory, the way of God as the Messiah was entering into it. What richness of thought! What can the world afford as compared with the richness of thought that comes into the mind as one comes up from Jericho, and looks on that vista, that scene of divine interests, presently coming to view again, and this man is coming into all that. And as regards young people the Lord carries the thought on and He speaks in this gospel of a colt tied by the crossway — that apparently is the word — and the explanation that our translator gives us is, ‘leading round the house’, a very suggestive matter for young people and for parents in regard of the way, not out in the broadway where the motor cars are and the advertisements and plays and what not, where the world is thoroughly represented, but the way that leads round the house. Keep them near the house — some scope, of course, for the young — but keep them near the house. Let them not get away from it. The [p. 365] Lord says, I need that one; you have kept him for Me and he is safe, I will take him now and use him. Think of being taken on by the Lord, the Lord knowing well what that discipline has meant to you, but you are now subject, and He says, I can use you. He is carrying the Lord into the city of the great King.
Well, that is all I had to present, dear brethren, I commend it to the Lord for blessing to us all.