THE UPWARD PATH

E.Palmer

Proverbs 15: 24; Colossians 3: 1-3; Genesis 5: 24

The Lord Jesus, I believe, spoke, as ever, in a most telling way of this path of life, speaking of the path that leads to life in contrast to one that leads to destruction, and souls were encouraged, and are still encouraged to enter the path of life. As we well remember, the gate into the way that leads to destruction is wide, but that which took a soul into the path of life, that gate was narrow. I believe it would be right to say that in that broad way there is room for every kind of thinking possible. Everyone can have his or her own opinion, and insist on it too! No one would demur; there is plenty of room there, but it does not belong to the Christian, to the believer. This way that is entered by the narrow gate, into the straitened way, is so narrow that there is room only for one will, and because of that, only one opinion. It is not man's will, either. I believe it is dominated, and narrowed up, so that those who are in it realise "what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God", Rom 12: 2. I venture to say, beloved, that that is surpassingly blessed. I suppose most of us have had the experience of doing our own will and finding the disappointing result of it. It does not work out; but I suppose most of us have had some sense, some blessed sense, of being governed by the will of God, doing what is pleasing to the Lord, with that sense of inward satisfaction of being agreeable to Him. I say that is most blessed, and moreover that path, as the Lord said, leads to life. I believe there is a correspondence with this verse in the Proverbs, where it says "The path of life is upwards", and if that path is upwards, it means that you and I, beloved, and together, are looking upward. Why should we look behind? Why should we be occupied with what is beneath, and with that which leads to what is beneath? I believe that the work of Christ for us, and the power of the Spirit in us, would give us liberty to walk in this path, and the power for it too. How endowed we are beloved brethren! How liberated! It depends, no upon ourselves but upon God. He gave His Son and He has given us the Spirit, both, that we may walk in this path that is upwards. I do not say that any of us are not in it, but I want to encourage my own heart, and yours, to walk in it; that is, that our lives are governed and regulated by what is upwards, not by what belongs to earth. The apostle Paul grieved about those "who mind earthly things" (Phil 3: 19); that is that the mind is occupied with them, and if the mind is occupied with them, we may be sure that the walk is affected by them.

So this path of life is upwards for the wise. What then is the object before the soul? I believe it is referred to in Colossians, "where the Christ is", the One to whom we owe peace of conscience and joy of heart, He is there, "sitting at the right hand of God", everything that needs to be done, done, and He at rest "sitting at the right hand of God". What an object for our hearts, to see Him sitting! Persons saw Him active on the ear h. There was a time when people saw Him crucified; there was such a time. They saw where they put His body in the sepulchre. There were those who saw Him risen from among the dead. There were those who saw Him ascend. There were those to whom He appeared during those forty days, and to five hundred at one time. But the Spirit would open the eyes of our hearts to see Him sitting at the right hand of God. It has often been said that the position of the Colossians is that they are still on the earth but their outlook is towards heaven. Let us take it up, beloved let us really take it up. I believe it would have a tremendous effect in regard to our whole way of thinking. "Have your mind" how do we think? I believe it would deliver us from trivialities, beloved; engage our minds and affections with what belongs to Christ, which is eternal, substantial and real. "Have your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth", whatever those things may be; not necessarily worldly things. There are lots of things on the earth that we must needs take up, but they are not to dominate our thinking. What is to dominate our thinking is the Person of Christ, "where the Christ is, sitting" as it says. He has completed all that needs to be done. Hebrews makes that clear. It says that God rested (see Heb 4: 10). It does not mean that He was weary. It does not mean that! I say that with due sobriety. But He rested. He came to a point where everything was complete. He rested, and Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. "Have your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth; for ye have died, and your life is hid with the Christ in God". That is where our life really is, and yet we are still here. Do you think people would be different with such an outlook, with such a mind? I am sure they would. Every matter that is in this life can be brought to this wonderful position of things and get adjusted, regulated, and maybe brought into perspective by taking this place of having "your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth". This is written to the Colossians written to a company, which is a very interesting thing, as if there is only one mind in that company and that mind is in one direction and that mind has one object. Oh beloved: how often we have spoken about being found in unity together. It is not the kind of thing that is a hopeless objective, it is something that the Spirit of God would help us in, help us to arrive at, and to arrive at it in the divinely appointed way; not our way, but God's way. "For ye have died": every element that belongs to that man we are associated with that was terminated for ever before God at that cross, as we have died with Him, buried with Him, gone out of sight in that burial so wonderfully marked by what is vicarious. And your life, the real life of the believer, is hid with Christ in God. The people out there, in that world, do not understand it; of course they do not! But the secret is known in the Christian company, and I believe. the Spirit of God would help us afresh to take our directions from the living and abiding word of God.

I just touch Enoch, because he was a man who did it. Light is one thing, but an answer to the light is something else. The light must come first; you cannot work up to the light. The light comes in and I answer to the light. If I take a step, one step in relation to the light, God will give me more light. I have proved that – I expect most have – but if there is anybody who has not proved it, if you have light about something I say, dear soul, take a step in relation to that light that God has given you and He will give you more.

"And Enoch", it says, "walked with God". "Your life is hid with the Christ in God". That is where it is, and Enoch walked with God. He was not a man who had no idea of what things are about in the order of creation that God has set up, those things we speak of as the institutions of life. He knew all about it; a family man, with family responsibilities, and yet he walked with God. In chapter 11 of Hebrews he is said to be marked by faith. It also says of him that "he has the testimony" (before his translation, that is while he was walking in this upward path he has this testimony) "that he had pleased God". Do you covet that? I covet that. I would like to be more conscious of what is acceptable to God in the practical working out of the life that God has given here in the testimony. It is a wonderful spiritual privilege when we can leave· in our spirits the responsible side of things. We can leave it, but then in the light of what we experience in privilege we work out the responsible path, and it is upward. It is always upward and is a way that, once you commit yourself to it, is a way of no return. There is no question of going back. God has no pleasure in that. It is a question of going on. "And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him". Is that going to happen? It surely is! The Lord Himself is coming. He will not come on to the earth, either, not when He comes for His saints. It will be above. It will be above things down here. The dead in Christ and the living who remain will be caught up together in the clouds to meet Him in the air, (see 1 Thess 4: 17). It will not be on the earth. No, it is above, and there are persons who are in that path, upward, and the end will be the same as the end that happened to Enoch. He did not see Sheol beneath, "He was not, for God took him". I would just like to encourage our hearts together to make a fresh committal; not only to be in this path, but to keep in it. We can count on the service and the power of the Spirit to this end. I believe that God would give us a sense of that which is pleasing to Him, not only in the heart of the individual but in the hearts of the saints as they move upwards together. May it be so.

LONDON

31 December 1985