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GROWING UP TO CHRIST IN ALL THINGS

H. D. Thomas The impressions, dear brethren, we shall take away from these gatherings will be many and varied but they will have one thing in common, for we have all been freshly impressed, not only with the greatness of what God has planned for His pleasure and the love that gave rise to it, but also with the preciousness of the One in whom these things have reached us. His personal place in the divine plan, and the closest possible link we are to have with Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I suppose as reviewing the meetings it would be legitimate to recall the chord that was struck in our hearts, “Behold the man!” “Behold your king!” and I have in mind, dear brethren, to speak of Jesus personally, as the One who, according to divine design, is to fill a most remarkable place in the divine realm, not only in relation to the kingdom, but in relation to eternity. Not only does He fill that place because He is the only One who could fill it, but because it is part of the divine plan that God has designed to bring everything under the domination of one Man, for I apprehend that the kingdom is the settlement of everything in time to make way for the family conditions which will exist in eternity. With this in view, dear brethren, it is the greatest possible advantage to us to be made aware of what God has before Him to do. He knows the end from the beginning. We often have to wait for the unfolding of things, and it is well that we should learn how to wait, and there is that, of course, which is given sovereignly, for instance, to Paul - his knowledge of the mystery, it was not Peter’s knowledge, it was not anybody else’s, it was his knowledge. This shows that God has a way of conveying His mind to someone fitted to minister it amongst the saints. On the other hand chapter 1 of Ephesians does not speak of Paul’s knowledge of the mystery, but speaks of what has been made known to us. Who are the “us”? It is, may I say, dear brethren, ordinary Christian ground. That many saints do not apprehend it does not alter the fact that it is the divine mind for every one of the redeemed. So that Paul is speaking in chapter 1 of what God had before Him “according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has taken us into favour in the Beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of offences,” verse 6, 7. I may add, dear brethren, not according to our estimation of the need but, “according to the riches of his grace; which he has caused to abound towards us in all wisdom and intelligence, having made known to us the mystery of his will.” That is, dear brethren, He is going “to head up all things in the Christ,” in Him, in one blessed Man. I know very well the Spirit of God is involved too, and it is clear that the assembly has a very remarkable place in the plan, but, dear brethren, I believe it is well sometimes to get a clear view of Christ, for everything in the divine realm focuses for us in the manhood of Jesus. We know the Father in Him, I believe we become more acquainted with the Spirit as He serves us in glorifying Him, and to think, dear brethren, that divine love has given us a place with Him and in Him is beyond all human conception. As one has said, “The love that gives with Christ a place, surpasses our poor feeble mind.” Well, there it is, dear brethren. God is going to head up all things in the Christ, in Him, in whom we have obtained an inheritance. What a wonderful thing. It keeps us steady in the presence of the fluctuations of the dark days of the present time. Now there can be no doubt that we are in the last phase of the testimony. There is no prospect of things becoming better in outward conditions. I have said that before, I have proved it in my own affairs since then. We need to face the moment in the grace the Lord will afford in the power of the Spirit in simple dependence on a Father’s care to see us through what may be a most difficult time in the history of the testimony. In the midst of all the aims and claims of men, nations at such variance and the whole world being marked by a perturbation such as has hardly ever been known before, the saints are to anticipate the tranquillity of the kingdom by coming under the domination of Christ.

That is why, dear brethren, I referred first to Genesis for I have not at all in mind to outline what may be doctrinal, but as our brother remarked in his word last night, that what is practical may engage us and that, of course, brings us to the man who is speaking, Jacob. He represents here, in a certain way, a finished product. The Spirit of God has given us many chapters disclosing items of his history, his mistakes, his lessons, and of the unceasing grace that cared for him, and that grace is towards us. I believe one of the most remarkable things about Jacob’s history is the way in which the faithfulness of God is exemplified in His dealings with him, faithfulness to a promise that He made right at the outset. He says, “I will not leave thee until I have done what I have spoken to thee of,” Genesis 28: 15. I have no doubt that came as a ray of light in many a dark moment. May I speak to you dear young people, for there are many here, I would like to say simply that what God has put His hand to secure in your soul, He will achieve. You will make the more progress the more you submit to Christ, but He will have His way in the end with every one of us. Indeed,

I would say that to us all. He has thoughts of blessing and He has put His hand to a great work. He has put His hand to secure likeness to Christ. Is He to be thwarted? Not at all.

And Jacob was on his death-bed. That he had learned his lesson is clearly seen in that he crossed his hands in blessing the sons of Joseph. We do not know when God communicated His mind to him specifically, but I would suggest, dear brethren, that he had learned in the experience of his soul that the first man was being passed over and that God is taking up the saints in relation to another Man and Oh, what light that is. He crossed his hands wittingly and he says “I know,” Genesis 48: 19. I do not think this is mere superiority which can be very obnoxious. I think it is the voice of experience, dear brethren, leading us to know experimentally that what God has in mind is to fill the scene with man after the order of Christ.

Now when it comes to Jacob blessing his own sons the sons of Jacob, with all that that implies but then “Listen to Israel your father.” Though retaining as long as his responsible history continued, a sense of the grace that met him as Jacob, he is not forgetting the dignity he had as being blessed of God and made a prince, and he is speaking in a fatherly way and to the brethren in company. We learn much, dear brethren, as we gather together. Some of us, of course, need as it were private tutorship because we are backward, and the Lord is not behind-hand in giving us that if necessary, but there is such a thing as gathering together. I believe this character of meeting has come to stay, not that this is the only type of gathering together, but it seems from our experience that God is signally blessing this character of meeting such as on this occasion. No doubt there needs to be much wisdom and we shall settle down to a convenient arrangement. We surely have been encouraged that divine support has been afforded during the present season together. And so the word is “Gather yourselves together,” so that each would learn from what was said to the other. There is no lesson any saint has to learn that I have not to learn. We sometimes make an attempt to interpret what the Lord may be saying to one another. I would suggest, dear brethren, that it is far better to let the Lord do His own interpreting. He moves with divine accuracy and power so that whatever occurs to anyone else I can take it to myself. This will save us from being critical and pointing the finger, for how readily we do that.

What is in mind now is that Jacob does not mince matters. He passes over his first three sons with a remarkable rapidity, for if my understanding of the chapter is correct, the two main types of Christ in the chapter are Judah and Joseph, with Benjamin, of course, linked with Judah, but Judah and Joseph. Judah stands for the establishment of the kingdom and Joseph stands for the establishment of what belongs to the family circle that is going into eternity. So you get the “bounds of the everlasting hills.” It is figurative language, and it goes beyond the bounds of the time scene. In this chapter we can see what it meant for Jacob to have witnessed what had occurred in his first three sons. He speaks of Reuben as to what he was. “Thou art my firstborn, My might, and the first-fruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.” But it is of no value in the divine realm because it is all of the flesh and there is written over these first three sons, “The flesh profits nothing.” Paul learned it, “That in me, that is, in my flesh, good does not dwell,” Romans 7: 18. We repeat these things, dear brethren, but what hopes we have at times and how we need to be disciplined out of them, for God has taken us up not in regard to what we are in the flesh, but what we are as linked with Christ. Our very standing in the divine realm is in Christ above for He “has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification,” Romans 4: 25. And nothing can be added to that. I believe, dear brethren, we are to learn how to enjoy the standing God has given us in Christ, so that the blessed Spirit may occupy us with the One in whom we are before God, and work out His features, so that there is a corresponding answer practically in the saints.

Well now, Reuben is dismissed, Simeon and Levi also. Their deflections are very different, but the result is the same, features of the man that can never please God, and now we come to Judah. I believe the whole thing, dear brethren, is unintelligible unless we keep our eye on Christ. Judah means praise, and Christ is to be praised. He certainly is. But He is going to secure praise and He is going to dominate in this scene until praise is extant throughout the whole scene. “Let everything that hath breath praise Jah, Hallelujah!” Psalm 150: 6. That will be the result of the kingdom, and so I want to speak now, dear brethren, of what is established in that blessed Man, for behind the rule of the kingdom are all the feelings of the Man. I speak to the young people again, do not allow the thought in your mind that God is arbitrary. He is inviting us all to come under the sway of Christ. Well, dear brethren, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the One who has accomplished redemption. One is thankful to God for the way in which redemption has come back to the fore in ministry in our day, to help our apprehension of the love that lay behind it, ever beyond human ken, something that leaves us with a sense of wonderment and yet the basis of everything and how complete it is. I would remark in passing that in Scripture redemption is always presented as a complete thing. There may be progression in our souls as we come under the power of it; as we yield to the claims of love divine, but oh, dear brethren, redemption in Scripture is always complete because it is the work of Christ. How complete it is is shown in this reference “Judah is a young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth.” Oh, dear brethren, what a stoop! I know this is only figurative, but what a stoop it was. ‘From Godhead’s fullest glory, down to Calvary’s depth of woe!’ We become accustomed to these things, but the Spirit of God has a way of affecting us. “He layeth himself down as a lion.” Not only did He lay in death; I think all our hearts were touched with a fresh impression today as to the place where the body of Jesus had lain, as though even in death itself He retained the initiative. But I believe the reference here is the complete restfulness that marks Christ, all the work having been done. “Who will rouse him up?” He has grappled with the foe. He has come out into the arena, may I say, on behalf of God, and He has completed the work. We are to know it and touch the glory of it, “It is finished,” it is a testimony of the basis on which the kingdom is established, on the ground that Christ has glorified God in the very place of sin and He is now at His right hand.

And so “The sceptre will not depart from Judah.” God has designed it, “Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.” Now it is clear that as we become obedient in the kingdom we get withdrawn from the world. There really is nothing more important that our position in this wicked world should be defined by allegiance to Christ, not merely by our coming into the kingdom as the subjects of blessing, but as entering the sphere the Spirit is available to open up all that God has in mind in redemption, for redemption really has in view that God has His portion and that we are blessed. Oh,

how we are blessed! We are blessed beyond human expression and indeed Paul says “In whom we have redemption,” Ephesians 1: 7. There is not the slightest doubt that the Scriptures show that redemption was effected for God and we are the blessed objects of His love that benefit from it. And so to Him, to this one blessed Man shall be the gathering of the people. It may be rendered ‘obedience,’ but from the practical point of view there is not much difference, for if I am in obedience to Christ, as Paul could say, “Legitimately subject to Christ,” (1 Corinthians 9: 21), it is the way out of the domination of the flesh. It is the way out, dear brethren, of the rule of the world. It is the entrance into the sphere of things where only one will obtains and that is the will of God. The One who is on the throne, dear brethren, has for ever glorified the principle of obedience by going into death. He is not placing something upon us arbitrarily. He is setting out the glory of it and He is now in the place of command. He is a personal friend to every subject of His kingdom. And so “A king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the storm,” Isaiah 32: 1, 2. I say, dear brethren, one of the effects of these meetings is to be better acquainted with Christ, holy resolves in spiritual power to remain under His sway. Think of the sceptre, think of the lawgiver. Think of what will be demonstrated, dear brethren, in a quickly coming day in the very place where all the confusion is seen now and then think of what is established in Christ on high and the blessed Spirit here, so that Shiloh comes to us now. It is really more than peace, it is a stronger word. It really means tranquillity, something, dear brethren, that may keep us steady amidst all the surging waves of the sea. Things happen circumstantially, and nationally and in gatherings, in households and in the widest sphere of this world’s politics, but I believe it will always be found that those who are under the domination of Jesus, the obedient One, will find there is a tranquillity of soul that nothing upsets. The kingdom is established not only by Christ on high, but the Spirit down here, so there is moral correspondence in the saints down here to what is above. In the kingdom chapter in the New Testament, chapter 14 of Romans, it says “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” verse 17. It would seem that righteousness, peace and joy are all connected with the Spirit. Righteousness has been secured by Christ on the cross, and God has declared His righteousness, because man had not any, and we have Christ as our righteousness, but as having the Spirit in the kingdom we are to be marked practically by the very thing that is conferred upon us in grace. No person in the good of this would want to touch anything unrighteous, for we are to be maintained under the sway of Christ and in the power of the Spirit. Truth in the inward parts is the thing that must touch us all and as we know, the work of righteousness is peace. Happy is the man who condemns not himself in that which he allows, and sometimes there is much unsettlement because of contact with things that are not of God. If I learn to move in the first principle of the kingdom, that is righteousness, I shall learn what peace is, and certainly what joy is. The Spirit of God being here, a divine Person indeed, there is a power which is of God, to effect these things and the result is there is something which is invulnerable. I believe unless we touch these things, in the kingdom what properly belongs to the assembly and the body of Christ will hardly be known by us, for the way into the assembly as far as soul history is concerned must be through the kingdom. In Matthew’s gospel, the gospel of the assembly we have so much stress on the kingdom. Nearly all these parables are connected with the kingdom and a great many things that guide us in assembly procedure are linked also with the kingdom of the heavens which shows, in the enjoyment of our spiritual privileges what is moral must run alongside.

Well now, the result of Romans 14 is that we have the same regard for one another, we are “like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus,” Romans 15: 5. Oh, how different from what has been introduced by the enemy into this world. They level everything down; God levels everything up. He grants all His saints a divinely given status which enables us to be like-minded to one another. How much status weighs with us, money or ability or what-not. The kingdom helps all this to find its own level, but it is in view “That we may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 15: 6. That is, I apprehend, dear brethren, the result of coming into the kingdom and being set together under the sway of Christ on high and under the guidance of the Spirit down below. The Spirit of God delights to take the features of that Man and cause us to admire them and then works them out practically in our souls. If we stand true, dear brethren, to what God is operating in our souls, we shall do well. May I again call your attention to the quotation already before us, ‘Overcoming is secured by not surrendering.’ It is a question of standing firm. We may at times be confronted with the powerlessness of the flesh but we have not been taken up in regard to what we are in ourselves, but in regard to Christ, for He is above and the Spirit of God down here, giving divine power in the soul that is commensurate with the truth itself. And I would like to say again, “Behold your king!”

Now for a moment to speak of another side of the truth, for we should pay perhaps more attention than we have done to the fact that the saints are the body of Christ. I feel I need help, dear brethren, to express what is in mind. The body is a complete idea. There is nothing sectional in it. It has different parts and they have different functions, but the figure used in the first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 12, using the human body as a figure, would show that all are necessary. There is perhaps somewhat of a tendency to vest practically everything in those that are prominent and if we do that it has the result that those we speak of as the rank and file become more or less nonentities and that is not the divine thought at all. That which derives from Christ, dear brethren, the whole of it, may I say, is of paramount importance and all is to be available for the functioning according to the divine pleasure. It has often been remarked that the gifts as mentioned in the first part of the chapter are with a view to something, “for the perfecting of the saints with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4: 2. So that those who minister should always have all the saints in view. I know we have to work things out practically with those who are available, but let us not become sectarian in our outlook, “Until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ,” Ephesians 4: 13. It is in contrast here to an infantile condition affected by any wind that blows. So now Paul brings in the antidote and that is to hold the truth in love and to hold it in relation to all the saints, and to “Grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ.” Now I have in mind to suggest, dear brethren, that we might be a little more concerned as to the truth of the body. That truth, though not local in itself, of course, is worked out locally. There is a tendency for meetings to grow round individuals and for things to depend upon those with ability, and whilst to a certain point this is right, taken beyond that point it can interfere with what the scripture speaks of here. “The whole body, fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply, according to the working in its measure of each one part.” Well now, dear brethren, “in its measure.” I may have to be content with a small measure and in the presence of some I may be made to feel that my measure is small, but I am not to be discouraged, but to learn how to grow up to Christ, to learn to derive from Him in the power of the Spirit what is necessary for me to fill my part. It may be that my measure will increase, but measure is not the aim, Christ is the aim. In the Scriptures you will find in several cases persons that are prominent and well known, named, but alongside them are persons that are not named, and yet fill a very happy part in the position. The desire for prominence, dear brethren, is a very great snare. That some have to have it is in the ways of God, and God generally gives discipline to keep balance, but when it becomes an aim, it is a snare, always. Now, to illustrate what I have just said, you remember that in Luke 8 we are told that the Lord “went through the country city by city and village by village, preaching and announcing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with him,” we know who they were; and “certain women,” some of whom are named, among whom was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward and Mary who was called Magdalene, but the Scripture also adds “many others.” They are not named. We know nothing of them. We do not know whether they were young or old, rich or poor, but they were in that company, content with an unnamed position, to fill a part which must have been peculiarly acceptable to Christ. Indeed for the encouragement of the sisters, Paul speaks in Philippians of some as requiring help, who had been fellow labourers with him in the glad tidings, and the ‘them’ is in the feminine. The Authorised Version states ‘those women.’ They were not mentioned by name. Their names were written in the book of life as though they were content with that. I believe it is the spirit of service without the place that service gives being an aim. So, if I speak of Paul, he was going to send Titus with the bounty of the saints. Well, Titus is the well-known brother. He is an apostle’s delegate. He had an epistle written to him. You may say he has a world-wide name, but there are two others sent with him and they are both unnamed. There is room for us, dear brethren, every one of us, to fill our part. So Paul says, “We have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the glad tidings through all the assemblies,” 2 Corinthians 8: 18. Some will say that that was Luke, and possibly it was, but he is unnamed. “And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved to be of diligent zeal in many things, and now more diligently zealous through the great confidence he has as to you,” 2 Corinthians 8: 22. What a commendation! We do not know how his zeal showed itself. He had learned to function as growing up to Christ, “According to the working in its measure of each one part.” Well, now there is much to be said about growth, but I am not going to enlarge much upon it, except just leave an impression that Christ is the object and we are to grow up to Him in all things. There is growing, may I say, morally. It is perfectly true that we cannot by taking thought add to our growth one cubit (Matthew 6: 27), but it is also clear that we are exhorted to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That stands over against the error of the wicked, and falling away from our own steadfastness, and it is up to us, so to speak. That is what Peter would suggest. And then there is full growth and what belongs to full growth, “full-grown men, who, on account of habit, have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil,” Hebrews 5: 14. He is not taken unawares by reason of something that is spiritually false, but he intuitively knows whether the thing is of God or not. Then, of course, there is the growing by the true knowledge of God, but here it is growing in holding the truth in love and growing up to Him in all things. It is the only way, dear brethren. Oh, how frail our minds are. However, a person formed in love has got the power to enjoy things. Love is the thing which is going to fill eternity and has a great power now.

We are not to merely acquire knowledge in a mental way, but to hold the truth in love, the truth as to God, the way He has come out and what He has before Him to secure, and thus find ourselves in an august company that is necessary to God Himself. This is something beyond all human thought, and the way we fill our part in it as growing “up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ.” We are to grow in appreciation of Christ, and the more we give place to the blessed Spirit by whom we are baptised into one body the greater He will make Christ to us. We feel He delights in holding us together, united in the appreciation of the One who is the Head, and I believe, dear brethren, this is a prelude to eternity, not the kingdom side of things at all, not the solving of moral issues, but the self building up of the body in love. It is a substantial thing that comes about, at the present time, but is so suitable to eternity that God will transplant it.

That is what was in mind. We have had a time in these meetings that is capable of being very much blessed of the Lord and I trust that it may have the effect of attaching our hearts more and more to the One who is designed to fill the central place in the universe. One is thinking, dear brethren, of Paul’s prayer in chapter 3, “That the Christ may dwell through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love,” Ephesians 3: 17.

We have had a touch this very day of what the presence of the Spirit amongst us does. We cannot leave out faith or lessen its importance, for through faith we apprehend what God has before Him, the assembly as linked with Christ, the saints and their association with Him, but these things are enjoyed only by the Spirit. We look forward to the world to come with all its blessings in the place which has been the scene of such disaster, but more than this, we anticipate eternity. The blessed One whom we know and through whom we have such a marvellous place, is the centre of the divine realm - God’s beloved Son. We are thus drawn into the very centre of all that God has before Him for His pleasure and the nearer we keep to Christ, dear brethren, the more scope the Spirit has to enlarge our souls in the blessedness of it all now.

May the Lord bless the word for His Name’s sake.

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