THE PRESENT PURPOSE OF GOD

THE PRESENT PURPOSE OF GOD

God had a purpose for His own from the flood. Man, though he accepted the purpose of God, became entirely diverted from it by making himself paramount, thinking of himself and of his own benefit. Thus it led to his ruin, instead of his blessing, as we see in the prodigal (Luke 15), who accepted the goods from his father, but went into the far country to enjoy himself.

God gave Noah power to rule “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth .. . into your hand are they delivered”, Genesis 9: 2. But he could not rule himself; he used his power for his own gratification; and eventually we see in Babel that man used his power to build a tower, to be independent of God. When God called Abram out, under the distinct condition that he was not to have as much as his foot would stand on of the land which he should hereafter inherit, we find Lot accepting, and remaining in the place, and seeking possession in it; and even Jacob, returning after twenty years to the land, as soon as he is settled in it, he buys a parcel of ground, from whence he is driven by the discipline of God.

Again, when Israel was brought with a high hand into the land, the simple condition which they were bound to fulfil was to cleave to Jehovah, and to drive out all the inhabitants of the land. This condition, which entailed incomparable blessing, they failed to fulfil; on the contrary, they made a league with the inhabitants. Thus they betrayed that their heart was ^[p. 302] more set upon the land, the gift of God, than on the blessed giver Himself, which is always an evidence of alienation from God; their moral condition was truly described by “Bochim”: “And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim”, Judges 2: 1 - 5. Also in Joshua 23: 12, 13, we read: “Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you”. They were bound to cleave to Jehovah and to drive out all the inhabitants of the land; instead of that they did the very contrary, made terms with them, so that instead of a thousand fleeing before one of them, they became a snare to them. It is important to bear in mind that the moment we separate the word of God from the light of His presence, whence it comes, man’s mind interprets it in absolute contravention of God’s purpose, making himself the exclusive object of it. Thus Israel, corrupted by the inhabitants of the land, and eventually carried captive ^[p. 303] into Babylon, were under the Roman yoke when Christ came.

Now when Christ came, the purpose of God was opposed from the very outset. The nearer God comes to man, the more man shows his antagonism; and eventually he says, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours”. (Mark 12:7) Man wants the earth without God. But here I must add the blessed fact, so fully corroborated in our Lord’s time, that anyone who follows out the purpose of God according to God’s mind is manifestly supported by Him, as we see from Abram down, be it a Gideon, or a Samuel, Elijah, or Ezra; and how manifestly more so now, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”, John 1: 12.

Now when Christ’s rejection was impending, He propounded the parable of the sower, setting forth the effect during His absence of the sowing of His word here on earth; Matthew 13. Six similitudes are used. In the first there was only the true thing; it was spoiled by profession. The second - the mustard-tree, is man’s interpretation of the purpose, something conspicuous to the eye of man - a huge ecclesiastical system to disguise the rejection of the Lord. In the third, the leaven, all that is good is corrupted.

Now the last three similitudes are given inside with the Lord; He “sent the multitude away, and went into the house” (Matthew 13: 36); and you cannot learn them unless you are inside with Him, apart from the influence of men. No passage in Scripture has been so misunderstood or misinterpreted as these three last similitudes. The first is what the word is to effect according to His mind and the purpose of God - to form a treasure here in the world for Him. It was not conspicuous to the eye of man like the imposing structures that we see now all over the kingdom, but it was hid as our life is hid with Christ in God. But He sells all that He has,

^[p. 304] and buys the field because His treasure is in it; that is what the church is to Christ.

The second simile is the pearl; that is what is apparent and beautiful for those who have an eye to see, like the gates of the new Jerusalem. Thirdly, the net, the import of which is altogether misunderstood. Many evangelists think that it is catching the fish, but the great object of the net is to bring them to shore to make selection, to select the good, those who are to form the treasure of Christ.

Now we learn from John 17 that His own have to come out as Himself here in this world, characterised by unity, altogether apart, separate from the world, waiting for His glory, learning down here the love of the Father, loved by the Father as Christ is loved. When John was beheaded (Matthew 14: 10), the Lord’s rejection being at hand, He went into “a desert place”, apart from the haunts of men; the poor of the flock seek Him there, and He feeds them there as He does this day. Then He sends His disciples in the ship across the sea, to see how they can bear up in the storm, typically the power of evil in an earthly system, while He Himself takes a new position; He is not only superior to the power of evil, as He always was, but now He is supreme, He is above it, and when thus seen by His disciples, Peter desires to join Him. The only place where the saint can join Him now is on the other side of death. Peter learns his own weakness in coming to Him, but the hand of Christ draws him to Himself. This indicates how we are to join Christ now while we are in the world. This way is not visible to man; but coming to Him as the living Stone, we also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house for Him; (1 Peter 2: 4,5).

We find the disciples came together in the opening of Acts, but they had no idea yet of the purpose of God, not even when the Holy Spirit was given in chapter 2. It was the fulfilment of the day of Pentecost ^[p. 305] when the wave-loaves were presented to God (Leviticus 23: 17), but they knew nothing yet of His purpose, and many, even enlightened christians, never get beyond Acts 2, never get to the purpose of God. Now when the gospel was extended to the utmost parts, as in the case of the eunuch (Acts 8), God caused the light of His glory to shine out of heaven and to arrest the greatest opposer of the day (Acts 9). To him, Saul, is first revealed the present purpose of God in the few words: “Why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9: 4) - the saints and He are one. This is the first intimation of the mystery which was kept secret from the foundation of the world. As far as I see, it does not come out any more in Acts. There is faith in Christ, they are zealous for the law, and expecting the Lord to return to reign, but they have no thought of the purpose of God, and many earnest men go no farther than that now. Evidently they knew it in Romans 12, and we get in the closing verses of Romans a distinct declaration of it, but we have to know Christ outside this world, as in Hebrews, before we can enter practically into the purpose of God.

We must begin, as in Hebrews 2, with, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one”. This is the most essential step, for until you enter into the reality of this you never advance; you cannot come to Him but as of Him. To this Abraham’s steward was sworn. You must come in an entirely new order, and then you find, like Peter on the water, that though you meet trials on the road, He bears you up and carries you to His own side, and finally you have boldness to enter into the holiest, and are in company with Him in that bright scene in the presence of God. Now your heart being drawn away from the earth to Him personally in heaven, you are ready for the truth of Colossians. Dead and risen with Him, you know Him as Head in the sphere of His life, and you find, as in Ephesians 1, the purpose of God can ^[p. 306] be made known to you; but you begin with “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”, in order to comprehend it. The prayer in Ephesians 1 expresses the purpose of God, and you find out now that the church is the complement of Christ, not that we can add anything to Him, but we derive from Him, as Eve did from Adam. It is almost impossible to conceive how each member does in some measure express Him, and in the prayer of chapter 3 we learn how we are endowed in order to be for the glory of God, in fellowship with and by the Spirit as sent from the Father; John 15: 26.

Then we come out as in Ephesians 6 in heavenly power to confront the whole force of the enemy in Christ’s superiority, according to John 16. The prince of this world is judged, so that His interests here are fully maintained.

In conclusion, the church left its first love, like Israel caring more for God’s blessings than to be in accordance with His pleasure. Love always degenerates when more occupied with the gift than with the giver. If I were really devoted to the Lord, I could not enjoy any gifts of His without Himself being paramount. The church from association with unbelievers had become a great house with vessels to dishonour, so that the first absolute duty was to separate from vessels to dishonour, following righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. When all was failure around, the Lord was the resource of every true heart; therefore Paul’s teaching was necessary for the servants in order to draw their hearts into the purpose of God, to be here on the earth as members of the body of Christ. Hence we find in Revelation 3: 8 that those who cleave simply to the Lord will find how He will undertake for them, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name”, so that in ^[p. 307] the closing hour (Revelation 22) we find there is a remnant, like the wise virgins going forth to meet the bridegroom, with oil in their vessels, which is the Spirit of God; not merely speaking of the coming of the Lord as many do, but declaring plainly in their own life and ways that they are going forth to meet the Bridegroom as the object of their hearts.

Now we find that those who are set upon Christ, as the coming light, the bright and morning star, are of the bride, who with the Spirit say to Him, “Come”, and finally we have in chapter 21 the bride coming down from heaven having the glory of God, and the purpose of God is fulfilled in the new Jerusalem. This is inconceivably blessed to ponder upon!

The Lord set our hearts more upon the blessed purpose of the blessed God, for His name’s sake.

Scarborough,