CHILDREN AND SONS
[p. 49] CHILDREN AND SONS
Luke 12: 22 - 32; John 3: 1 - 3; Ephesians 1: 3 - 6; Ephesians 2: 18
Rem The name of Father in the gospels hardly goes so far as in John’s epistle. There are three leading thoughts in it — care, love, and glory.
FER What difference do you make in the thought of Father in the gospels and in the epistle?
Rem The name is opened out more fully in the epistle as to what is involved in it.
FER What is the moral idea connected with the name Father?
Rem Care and love.
FER That is the application of it to children, but the thought is not large enough. I understand by it the revelation of God in the activities of His love.
Ques Would that apply in each case?
FER I fancy pretty much so.
Ques Is the Father more fully revealed in Luke 12 than in John 3?
FER Luke 12 is different from John as to the Father. John speaks much more of the Father, but not so much in relation to our place and need down here. We see in Luke 12 what the Father is towards us. We are to seek His kingdom, and all things necessary will be added unto us.
Ques Is that care part of the sway of the kingdom?
FER I think it is connected with the kingdom. We are in the kingdom, but there not simply as subjects but as children. The children of the queen are subjects in her kingdom, but they are her children. So we come to our Father, but we are none the less in the kingdom — subject in that way to the ordering of the kingdom.
Rem There is not so much difference between the kingdom of the future and the kingdom now, except that it [p. 50] will be displayed.
FER All the moral features of the kingdom now, will be displayed in the future.
Ques “Thy kingdom come” — when is that?
FER Its display is future, but as a moral thing it is to rule in our hearts now. The kingdom is set up in our hearts. It is established in heaven for God, and maintained in the hearts of His people here by the Holy Spirit.
Rem In Luke the real reading is, “Seek his kingdom”. The antecedent to this is “Father”. In the prayer it is the Father’s kingdom. All the principles of heaven which the name Father brings out, of grace and love, we are to obtain in the kingdom.
FER I think so. The point of that part of Luke is that the Lord is detaching the hearts of the disciples from earth, and leading them to heaven. He assures them of God’s care on earth, but He is leading them to the Father’s things — the heavenly things.
Ques You say, we are children in the kingdom?
FER Yes, as in human things the children of the sovereign are subjects of the kingdom, but none the less children.
Rem I do not know your thought as to the difference between John 3 and Luke as to the Father.
FER You must see the difference between the Lord’s position here on earth before His rejection and after it. The name of God as Father was revealed in connection with the Son here on earth, but when rejected He took the path which led to a heavenly position. Then He could bring out the full revelation of the Father in heavenly purpose. In Luke He is leading them to know the Father’s name according to heavenly counsel and purpose. You can understand in the sermon on the mount that the Lord speaks of the Father as here upon earth, Himself the object of the Father’s love, and putting His Jewish brethren in association with Himself in the Father’s care. But the moment came when He was rejected, and then He says [p. 51] to His disciples, I send you forth as lambs among wolves; they would have to buy a sword, for things were all altered. They would find this earth a totally different place when Christ was no longer here. Then the great point was where He was leading them to, associating their hearts with the heavenly place where He was going.
Ques The first aspect of the kingdom has passed away?
FER No; it will be good for the Jew by and by, but we have to take the place of Christ’s rejection here. I do not think they had to take that at the beginning; but when He is rejected as in Matthew 11, then the position of the disciples was altered, as was the Lord’s position here. It is a remarkable thing as to the sermon on the mount, that where we have the Father’s name in Matthew, in Luke it is changed to God with regard to present things. (Compare Matthew 6: 26 with Luke 12: 24.) But then the christian is always entitled to remember that God is his Father. Jesus brought the grace connected with the Father’s name unto His own from the first, but after His rejection He took another way. The world is left as it is; God’s grace may interfere, but then, as a matter of fact, the earth is left as it is, though all is providentially governed in a way. We come into all the providential dealings of God, are fed and cared for, and can connect every mercy every day with the Father’s care of us and love to us.
Rem We have nothing but the Father’s care.
FER But the question is, are we satisfied with what is necessary for us to carry us through? Do people accept this? The Lord is applying the wisdom of One greater than Solomon to the things down here, to the difficulties of the disciples in the place of His rejection, and shews how they would be kept, and the folly of seeking this world, and laying up in it. The rejection of Christ altered the position of the disciples in the world entirely. It put them in touch with heaven. In the sermon on the mount He says, speaking of prayer,
“[p. 52] How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” My impression is that is what you may call the idea of the millennium. But here it is giving the Holy Spirit out of heaven. It is heavenly giving now.
Ques What did you mean by the wisdom of Solomon in connection with these things?
FER His wisdom the queen came to hear, as to her own things, but he led her beyond to his things. So we see the Lord’s wisdom with His disciples, He shews them His way through the world, but He is the way to the Father.
Ques Why is it the Father sends the Son?
FER I think the thought of the Father brings in the idea of the activities of God’s love. That is the general idea connected with the Father.
Rem Generally it is the Father sends and the Father gives.
FER Through John’s gospel J.N.D. used to say, when it is a question of God’s nature it is “God” — “God is a spirit;” but when it is the activities of His love, it is “Father” — “The Father seeketh such to worship him”. So in chapter 6, “my Father giveth you the true bread”, &c. I think the Father’s name is in that way connected with the activities of divine love.
Ques Are we regarded in John’s gospel in the light of children?
FER Believers are regarded as children from the outset, but the Lord all through John’s gospel is working in the direction of sonship, that is, to bring us to perfection and glory.
Ques Will you say a word as to the difference between children and sons?
FER Sons are connected with glory, children more with the care and discipline of love. In the one, love is at rest; in the other, love is in vigilance and activity.
Ques Love in rest you connect with sonship?
FER Yes.
[p. 53] Ques Would it be right to say as in the position of children we are as Christ was down here, but as sons as He is in resurrection and glory?
FER I think so. The Son is revealed, and the Spirit of sonship given, that we may be brought into association with God’s Son. We are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect; but the thought of perfectness there is in connection with conduct as children, as far as I know.
Ques “The world knew him not” — is that rejection?
FER That is not exactly the idea, but that in the very nature of things the world is morally incapable of knowing Him. Perfectness is connected with us as sons rather than as children. The passage in the beginning of Ephesians 1 gives the true idea of sonship. The great point is, that all is before God according to the glory. It is evident the love of God would then find perfect rest. You could not then have activity in the sense of discipline and the like.
Rem Love is at rest. It is the rest of love. Love in activity has done its work, and now love is in rest; the thought connected with sonship is glory.
FER I think that whatever you may be subjected to in the way of discipline and purging is in view of the day of judgment. This does not affect the fact that, as Christ is the object of the Father’s love, so you are in this world. There was an interesting remark made this morning to the effect that you do not get into privilege until you are past the judgment-seat. I think that is connected with all that has been before us this afternoon. It is as to our conduct as children that we come before the judgment-seat. It is the termination of discipline, purging, fruit-bearing, &c., in connection with the saints. In what we have in John’s epistle, Christ gives the character to everything. I could not get the idea of righteousness but as in Him. Thus the hope of seeing Him as He is has a purifying effect. No one would look to have a less measure than Christ. You get the climax in the verse quoted, “As he is, so are we in this world”. You come to the point where everything is excluded in your mind but Christ, but you are in the sense of the Father’s love.
Rem In connection with love we are made perfect, “as he is”; loved as He is loved.
Ques What do you mean by being past the judgment-seat now?
FER There is such a thing as coming to the judgment-seat now in our souls, and when you have the sense how completely everything is dealt with in the cross, and that nothing but Christ is before God, then you have come to the judgment-seat and passed it, and you enter into privilege. Paul kept it up in his own soul, hence he says, “we are made manifest to God”.
Ques Is that your authority, 2 Corinthians 5, that what is to take place has taken place?
FER Yes, in verse 16. So in 1 John 4, “As he is, so are we in this world”. You cannot separate it from John’s epistle.
Ques Does the effect of discipline come out in the heavenly city?
FER Yes, there you get it perfectly. All comes out in the city. Everything answers to the measurement, and the administration in the city is righteousness. We get that distinction in scripture, that whenever it is a question of what we are to God the prominent idea is holiness; when of testimony to man, the prominent idea is righteousness. In Ephesians 1 we are “holy and without blame before him in love”. In Colossians we are to be presented “holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight”. On the other hand the new man is created “after God ... in righteousness”. The new man is for the setting forth of God here. In John you have not got holiness, but the two proofs of children are righteousness and love. The result of God’s ways with us comes out at the judgment-seat. You cannot connect the thought of judgment with sons. Sons [p. 55] implies association with Christ in a scene where the love of God rests. Everything there is according to His glory, and God rests there in perfect present complacency.
Ques Can we reach that spot now?
FER Yes — in our souls.