LIVING IN THE THINGS OF GOD
N. J. Henry
Luke 15: 22, 23, 25–28; Genesis 5: 21–24; 1 Chronicles 9: 17–19; 2 Timothy 4: 9–11
I would like to speak of living in the things of God. To present anything less would not be in keeping with the mind of God. You remember when Adam was introduced in the garden of Eden, before sin was there, what surrounded him was entirely of God. His environment, his sustenance was of God. Even the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was righteousness. Mr. Raven says that it was righteousness to put it there. So everything in the garden was of God. And although Adam was not final in the mind of God, one thing conveyed to Adam was that he should live in the things of God. The question for us is, Do we live in the things of God? If you look around, the world system is not of God, and the great house is not of God. The
great house in 2 Timothy is not what the house of God in 1 Timothy has become. What God has introduced in the world remains. His testimony remains, the one body remains. What God has put within our reach remains. So you can see that our life should be within what God has placed within our reach. Is our life in the world system? Mr. Taylor said that business is discipline. Business is not discipline to an earth-dweller. It shows how the Spirit of God is weaning us from the world system. The character of ministry, I believe, in the present time, as it has always been, is to draw us away from the world system, which is set up in opposition to what God has introduced. I believe God would raise the question today with us as to where we find our life. So I read in Luke 15. The younger son found his life in the house. It would be out of keeping for the younger son to be found in fields afterwards. It is quite evident that the elder son did not live in the father’s world. The father’s house did not suggest any interest to him. He was not dressed for it, and he did not have a taste for it. The father still goes out and beseeches; he wanted the elder son to enjoy, through repentance, what the younger son had. God always protects His world. He does not mix it. Man has tried to mix it. But God’s world is protected. You remember the cherubim, they protected things. Luke 15 has that beautiful touch as to the younger son, the father says to his bondmen, “Bring out the best robe and clothe him in it”. The elder son did not know anything about the best robe. You need to be in the Spirit of the Father to know the best robe. I suppose the bondmen had the Spirit of the Father. Was not Paul a bondman bringing out the best robe? His life was in the things of God. He was filled with the Spirit of God, bringing all the wealth that was in the Father’s house. I think the more we move about the Father’s house, the more we are marked by the spirit of it. It was really an affront to the Father for the elder son to be in the fields. But the younger son was a credit to the Father. We ought to be a credit to the Father as persons that have their lives in God’s things. Our life is
hid with the Christ in God. It is a very testing matter. I do not profess to be fully in it, but I pursue it. The world system makes demands on the saints. Christ has died to redeem us from it. It was not till they arrived beyond the Red Sea, that they were clear of the power of Egypt.
Let us not go back in our hearts. After having crossed the Jordan, the two and a half tribes went back over the Jordan. You cannot actually go back through the Red Sea, but you might go back to Egypt in your heart. That has stumbled many saints before us. That should keep us lowly and humble.
I wanted to touch on Enoch. It was after Methushelah was born that Enoch walked with God three hundred years. He is a remarkable man who found his life with God. It was a daily matter. I think God waited on Enoch wakening. It does not say that God woke him. It says that prophetically of Christ. Nevertheless every day of Enoch’s life was filled with God. Do we start our days like that beloved brethren? Abstractly there is nothing outside of God in our lives. It has to be practical and real about us, that we not only start with the reading of the Scriptures and prayer, but we know something of God coming into our days. Enoch is presented in Hebrews as being translated, which is Paul’s side. But here it is John’s side, “he was not”. It says, “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him”. John represents secret life. He suggests what goes through, in affection and in love. John really lived in love. That is the nature of God. There is nothing said about Methushelah as to himself, although the longest life until now. Yet nothing is said about that man. What a responsibility for a man of that length of days to have nothing morally said of him. We can be so near things and yet not be real. Enoch is always a great moral example for us. He is a man who felt for God. He speaks about the ungodly, not only of their ungodly works, but the hard things that ungodly men said. He felt things like God, that is what he did. I think, beloved brethren, we will be tested if we are not living a
life with God. The world system is getting so anti-God as well as anti-Christ. Our preservation is living in the things of God. God has kept the best things for us so that we should live in them.
Now I read in 1 Chronicles 9. There is this side in Numbers 16 that Korah had laid claim to the priesthood. They laid claim to what did not belong to them, and thus forfeited their right to live in things. Remember the character of the judgment, it was a new judgment. Moses said, “if these men die as all men die ... but if Jehovah make a new thing ...”, Numbers 16: 29, 30. This judgment was of God. Now here we have the sons of Korah (Psalm 45 in the Second Book of Psalms is from them). Are there any limitations for them if they forfeited life? No, they started at the king’s gate eastward. It shows the variety of life. It is said, “they have been hitherto in the king’s gate eastward”, typifying the recognition of what was coming out in Christ, the King’s rights. And then it is said, “they were the doorkeepers in the camps of the children of Levi”. I think there are the two sides—the children of Levi need protection.
Protection is a good principle in divine things. You remember that Adam had to till and guard the garden, but when he was driven out, he was only to till the ground. There was nothing to guard, he lost all. Now our eyes have been opened to see what needs guarding. I would say the sons of Korah would be strong on that point. It refers here in verse 19 to “keepers of the thresholds of the tent”. You can understand how vigilant they would be. I think you only guard if you love a thing. We need our affections developed for the things of Christ and guard them, because they will be attacked. But if we are as the sons of Korah we will be vigilant.
You remember those that surrounded the couch of Solomon because of attacks in the night.
You might say it is a time of disadvantage. Let us protect, beloved brethren, what is within our reach.
Now finally in 2 Timothy 4, I think the apostle Paul
is not acting as defeated here. He remains living in the things of God. He comes out with true feelings, he refers to one who has forsaken him, a strong word to use. It is a Word that Mark himself uses in his gospel, when the expression is used in an absolute sense by Christ Himself on the cross. But something of the feelings of Christ came out in Paul here, I think. He says elsewhere, “Who is stumbled, and I burn not?”, 2 Corinthians 11: 29. Paul felt departure from the truth. Paul felt persons moving away from living in the things of God. He did not unchristianise them, but anyone living in the things of God would have accompanied Paul.
Now he says, “Take Mark, and bring him with thyself”. Mark is ready. For Mark to be recovered by Barnabas would have been fatal, for Barnabas sought to bring Mark back in Acts 15. They both went to Cyprus. Was that living in the things of God? It was the place of winds being contrary there. Here he says to Timothy, “Take Mark, and bring him with thyself”. I think that is very touching. Bring a person back who is living in the things of God.
He is now available. Think about the gospel he writes. He wrote that after being recovered; he does not tell us the source of his information. Luke tells us where he got the report. But I think Mark was living in the things of God, and he gives his own touch; a great example to us beloved brethren. It is a very precious time we are in, when we can be encouraged and stimulated to live a life in the things of God. May we be encouraged for His name’s sake.
Address at Vevey
24 October 1997