THE SITUATION, AND HOW GOD EFFECTS HIS PURPOSE
[p. 258] THE SITUATION, AND HOW GOD EFFECTS HIS PURPOSE
Genesis 11: 1 - 9; Genesis 12: 1 - 3 Romans 11: 15 - 22; Isaiah 42: 1 - 8
The thought before me s to touch on two things equally important. One is the situation, as I must call it; and nothing can be more important at the present time, particularly to those who take any part in the work of God down here, than to see the situation. We want to be men of understanding; we are not worth much without understanding. Scripture puts great stress upon understanding — I mean understanding of the times, in other words, of the situation.
Everybody will allow that the situation is formed by God, whatever the situation may be. It would have no foundation if it were not formed by God. The first point therefore is to apprehend the situation which God has formed. I do not think we can much benefit others or take part in God’s testimony if, as a first principle, we do not understand the situation.
Then there is another thing, and that is, how God effects His purpose. Both are equally important, but in our minds we have to keep them clear.
I want this morning, if the Lord help me, to unfold the situation on the one hand, and on the other, to speak of the way in which God effects His purpose. God always effects His purpose through a moral process in man. God always has effected His purpose in that way, and ever will, whether with regard to the church, or to Israel, or to the nations.
The situation which God has formed is not always the same, but whatever it may be, it is the light [p. 259] for the moment. It always has been and always will be.
I go back to Genesis 11. There you get a situation not formed by God, and it was a very terrible one. Man was alienated from God, and God took account of the alienation. I use the word alienation in contrast to reconciliation: I find Scripture uses it in that way. Well, there you get alienation. Men came to the plain of Shinar. This is in Scripture the great seat of idolatry. You find this in Zechariah 5 — the woman sitting in the midst of the ephah was borne to the land of Shinar, to build a house there, and there to be established and set upon her base. The land of Shinar is the base of idolatry. There they prepared to make a city and a tower that should reach up to heaven. The practical result was complete alienation from God. If I may use such an expression, God’s mind was alienated from man on account of man’s state. There is, I think, that view of it. Men were allowed in a sense to go their own ways, and in result were alienated from one another. That was the moment from which nations sprang. There was confusion of language, and that was the proof and evidence that God’s mind was turned away from man. There cannot be a doubt that that is the point where alienation is really marked.
Well, the world goes on its way, and the next thing is, God takes up a man. That man was Abraham. Abraham became the beginning of a world. God proposed to take up a world of which the seed of Abraham should be the centre. God’s purpose was not merely to take up a nation. He did take up a nation, but a world was formed and that was the situation for the moment, I do not go into the detail of that. But the existence of that world depended to a large extent upon the fidelity of God’s witness in it. Israel was the witness against [p. 260] idolatry, and to the faithfulness and goodness of Jehovah, and the world depended upon the faithfulness of God’s witness. What came to pass was that, instead of being faithful to Jehovah, Israel fell under the influence of idolatry, and God in time allowed that world to be swallowed up by Babylon — not merely Israel, but the whole world of which Israel was the centre, and in which it was the witness. It was entirely set aside, and another world was allowed to come in in its place, the great system headed up in Babylon. God gave authority to the Gentiles, and we get the times of the Gentiles.
Then another situation comes in. The final test to the Jews returned from captivity was Christ. He came into the midst of God’s people as the seed of Abraham and of David, the sign of God’s covenant; and Israel stood or fell by Christ. God in a way overlooked all that had happened — and this was the final test, and Israel did not answer to it. Then we get the casting off of Israel consequent upon the rejection of Christ. Then that introduces another and new situation, a remarkable situation, that is the reconciliation of the world, not God introducing a world as with Israel, but the reconciliation of the world. Israel became lost among the nations, but there was the reconciliation of the nations consequent upon the casting off of Israel. Provisionally the nations come under the influence of the goodness of God. That was a remarkable situation for God to create.
A good many would ask me, but how does it come about? Well, the moment Christ was born you find, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in man”. That was the announcement of the heavenly host; their song in connection with the birth of Christ. “Good pleasure in man”! That is a wonderful thing. Then further on we read that Christ bought the field. And another wonderful statement, He “gave himself a ransom for all”. So too, “He died for all”. He accomplished redemption, and on that ground the world provisionally comes into reconciliation. The casting off of the Jew is the reconciling of the world. By the world I understand the people in it, not an organisation. The world stands provisionally in the goodness of God.
Now the point is, would the Gentiles continue in God’s goodness? That is the point you get raised in Romans 11. They would not continue; and the proof is that eventually they disallow Christ and set up a rival. They set up Antichrist, and so prove that they do not continue in the goodness of God. They are cut off. Then God reverts to His promises to Israel; He takes them up again, and you get the world to come formed.
I do not go into that; but I want to speak for a moment on the importance of the present situation, the reconciliation of the world, and the position of Christ in regard of men. I cannot conceive anything more important than the consequence of that in the way men come under the regard of God. The point especially with those of us who attempt in any way to preach is to open eyes; we want men to see the situation, the position that Christ occupies in regard of man. He is the “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all”. That is the truth on one side, in virtue of which the world has come into reconciliation. All the world has come by Christ into God’s view, and is being tested as to whether it will continue in the goodness of God. If the Gentiles do not continue in God’s goodness, they will be cut off. But in a certain way they have come into the tree of promise, the line of Abraham.
I take that to be the situation, and what we, as servants, have to unfold. We have to unfold what [p. 262] redemption is in its bearing in regard to men, what the position of Christ is in reference to the world, and the position of the world in regard to Christ. Christ has a claim upon every man in having died for all. If Christ has a claim upon every man in virtue of redemption, it is also true that every man has a claim upon Christ on the same ground. Every man can come in on that ground. In virtue of having taken up all men’s liabilities and discharged them, he has rightfully a claim upon every man, and every man has a claim upon Christ. Christ is available and accessible to every man.
That is the situation which we endeavour to make plain in the gospel. Christ has bought the field; He has paid a price for it; He gave Himself a ransom for all. The world has come provisionally into reconciliation. It is not a state of things that is final, but provisional. The Gentiles are being tested at the present time as to whether they will continue in the goodness of God.
As a matter of fact we know they will not answer to the test. The world will become apostate. Antichrist will be set up in opposition to Christ.
I say that much in regard to the situation. Now I will add a word in regard to the effect of it — how God accomplishes His purpose. If you look at Acts 26: 16 - 20, you can see that the apostle was the great vessel God was pleased to employ for the opening of the eyes of the Gentiles. The first item of his commission was to open their eyes. I understand by that he was to undeceive them. The way in which that was to be effected was by the opening up of the situation. This would always be the case; if people are in a false position, and you want to undeceive them, you would seek to open up to them the situation. The apostle understood the situation, and was to go to the Gentiles to open it up to them, and their eyes would thus be opened.
[p. 263] If you could unfold to men the light that has come unto them on the part of God — the advent of Christ from heaven, His becoming a man (God having thus good pleasure in men) to accomplish redemption, the discharging of man’s liabilities that he should not be under judgment — what would be the effect? People would be made conscious that they have been in darkness and lawless. That is always the proper effect of the preaching of the gospel, the presentation of the situation, and the consequence is that they turn from Satan to God. The practical result is that they repent. It is there that every one has to begin. We must all begin with repentance.
The situation is of great benefit to us; if it were not there, there would be no opportunity of repentance. It opens the door: we all have to go in at that door. Man has to repent on account of his previous state. Man has been in darkness; he turns to light; he was lawless, and he turns from lawlessness to God.
The next thing is this: when man is affected by the situation he apprehends that there is redemption in Christ; he begins to apprehend what the mind of God is toward us in Christ. There is forgiveness of sins. He gets that light, the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins, the gain of redemption. What follows upon that is that he receives the gift of the Spirit. Christ is the giver of living water to those who come to Him. “To him that is athirst I will give to drink of the water of life freely”. He gets the living water, and the effect of coming near Christ is to bring us into the appreciation of Christ as the covenant. “I have set thee to be a covenant of the people”, we read in Isaiah.
When Christ was here on earth He was the covenant. Those who surrounded Christ and appreciated Him appreciated the covenant. Take [p. 264] Mary of Bethany; she sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word. To her Christ was the covenant. The woman of the city who came to Him and washed His feet with her tears apprehended Christ as the covenant. That may not be quite plain to all, but it is important. I mean this, that Christ was the perfect expression of God’s disposition toward man, and the effect of the presence of Christ was to make men — those who came to Him — conscious of what the disposition of God was toward man. He was the covenant. Do you not think that the disciples entered somewhat into the light of God’s disposition toward men? I think they had a sense of it with Christ in their midst. It was so in the cases I have cited, and I might cite others. Christ was the perfect expression of what God was toward man, and this was learned in the presence of Christ, and in approach to Christ. He was the covenant to the people.
We want to appreciate Christ in that light. If you want a verse to confirm it, I give you the last verse of Romans 8: “The love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. There are two points in the new covenant, forgiveness of sins and divine teaching. What is divine teaching to us? As we come under the influence of Christ we find that He is the expression of all God’s disposition towards us. If you understand the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, you come under that from which nothing can separate you. That is the covenant. It is a great thing to appreciate Christ, the divinely given covenant to man. The old covenant was the law, the new covenant is Christ.
What I plead for is the appreciation of Christ as the expression of God’s disposition to man. You will find the thought in 2 Corinthians 3 where the apostle is contrasting the two ministrations. “Now the Lord is that Spirit”, that is, the Spirit of the [p. 265] covenant. If you want to find the perfect expression of God’s disposition toward man, you find it in Christ. Christ stands as a Mediator in relation to all men.
I will tell you now another step. As you come into the appreciation of Christ, you come under the love of Christ. Christ loves those who appreciate Him. I am quite alive to the fact that “We love him, because he first loved us”; but in coming into the appreciation of Christ, in a way we command the affection of Christ. You could not understand the affection of Christ going out to those who do not appreciate Him. His affection goes out to those who do appreciate Him.
“To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much”. That is the principle. We appreciate Him, and in that appreciation we come under His love. Then we love Him, because He first loved us.
You find this in what came out on earth. Mary of Bethany appreciated Christ in a peculiar way, and came under the affection of the Lord. So, too, the disciple whom Jesus loved. It was that he had a special and peculiar appreciation of Christ. Jesus loved Peter and James too, but there was a peculiar way in which John came under His affection.
Well, how is it with regard to us? I do not doubt that we are all orthodox and intelligent in the truth; but how much do we appreciate Christ as the covenant of God? How does it affect you in the detail of life? How far are you prepared to throw everything over in order to reach Him because you appreciate Him? One is not to be detained by country or kindred or father’s house. It does not matter whether one is a rich man or a pauper, because one is prepared to sacrifice all because of appreciation of Christ as the blessed expression of God’s disposition toward man. As you appreciate Christ you come under His affection, and you know His [p. 266] love and you love Him. I do not believe things work in any other way. It is along that line that God effectuates His purposes. God can create a situation. He has created every situation and will create yet another; but God goes on, and by a moral process in men he brings to pass the purposes of His mind.
There is no doubt as to what God is doing at this time. He has formed the church, and it is by loving Christ that the church is brought into view. What would be the good of the church if it did not love Him?
Christ bought the field for the sake of the treasure, He had the treasure in view, but that did not bring the church to light. What brought it to light was the response to His love. It is a great thing to see the way by which God effectuates all His own blessed purpose. I am often very thankful that it is by a moral process which takes place in man.
We need to get things distinguished in our minds. We want to be clear as to God’s testimony and the situation as it regards all men. If you want to have any part in the testimony it is of all-importance to be clear as to this, but not to mix it up with God’s purpose to us. You see it as it affects all men.
It is another thing to see how God brings to pass His purpose, how He effectuates His will. We have to begin very low down indeed; we were in darkness and lawlessness; but it is a very true and real beginning. Then we get a little more light, step by step, until we come by the Spirit to the appreciation of Christ as God’s covenant. This is a great point, because it brings you to this, that you are prepared to sacrifice everything for Christ. I do not believe we shall really get on until we are prepared for that. It is a real moment in the career of a Christian when he comes to that — he [p. 267] counts everything dross and dung that he may have Christ for his gain.
Then we keep His commandments, and come into the consciousness of His love. He loves us, and we love Him. Thus the church is brought into view down here. Not only do we love Christ, but we love one another. You could not love Christ without loving one another, and it is by loving one another that men know that we are His disciples; the church comes into view morally before the world. It is not conspicuous in this world, but in view morally because there is the setting forth of what is characteristic of Christ; the saints in that way present the likeness of Christ. “As I have loved you, that ye also love one another”.
It would, I am sure, be a great help to us to understand these two things — first the situation, and how it regards all men; and then the way that God effectuates His will by a moral process in man, beginning with repentance.