HEAVEN NEAR TO EARTH
P. Schubert
Beloved friends, I have had the impression of how close heaven is to earth. We read earlier how the Lord was distinguished on His way to death. And today heaven is much interested in the earth to bring the light into many hearts. We have a case here that speaks in a special way to our hearts. You see how a vessel is taken up, truly a special vessel that the Lord secured, but He does it in His own way. You see, therefore, what help is brought in by His might, and He brings something in for the cause of the testimony. It represents His wonderful ways.
We find a person here—Saul—who was opposed to all that God was doing. His behaviour and his actions were terrible. He was the raging wolf of Benjamin. He had in mind to take away the saints of this place, Damascus. Everything served so that this occasion might find a permanent place in his soul. He never forgot it all his life—the meeting he had with the Lord here—and we know that he referred to it several times in his service. We find what depths were put into his heart, and that it was necessary for his service, for the ministry to which he was called. The ways of God are wonderful! “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways”, Isaiah 55: 9. Paul was secured and set free from the power of darkness. He had experienced a very, very deep religious education. He was a man with very much authority. He had letters from the high priest to Damascus—how great is the grace of God and His power to put down the greatest enemy! Paul himself
speaks of himself as the first of sinners. He is a demonstration that the greatest sinner can be saved. The power of redemption in Christ is enough for all. It is for men to take advantage of it in the time which is available. Soon the door will be closed. We cannot speak to people seriously enough. That time is so near!
You see what happened here. All this came to pass because of the glory, and you see what effect it had. Here we see in Saul one who was loved by God. The Lord was looking for him.
He did not respond to God; he was at great enmity against those that loved God. The greatest love meets the greatest hatred! The great Overcomer spoke to Saul from heaven. He is able to break down the greatest opposition. He will reach His goal. We see here that the Lord has the whole situation in His hands. Behind these men were evil authorities, but One is above them.
We see great powers active in this world that want to annul what is of God, but God is acting.
He is acting from His own side and in His own way, and it is wonderful.
Do we hear the voice from heaven? A light was shining, “there shone round about him a light out of heaven, and falling on the earth he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?”, and this had its effect. The voice of the Lord is wonderful! I believe all present here have heard it already, but it is to be heard now by everyone who has not heard it.
This voice is precious to us. We always like to hear it. The Lord is a wonderful and attractive Man, and here was one—Paul—whom He had in mind to use in a particular way. The truth as to the assembly had to be announced clearly. We considered yesterday the truth of the body.
The Lord said, “Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou
persecutest”. He was persecuting the women and men and the Lord said, ‘Why dost thou persecute me?’ That is what was laid in Paul’s heart. Thus he got this great truth that the assembly is united to Christ. He is an example in his service. His beginning is wonderful. It is shown to him what he should do later. He says, “Who art thou. Lord?”—that is fine language.
He is ready to realize the lordship of the Lord. The light casts him down to the ground, and a great change takes place. The Lord says, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest”, and it became light in Paul’s soul.
The Lord said, “But rise up and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do”. The wonderful thing is that the Lord has those here whom He can use to continue His work. The brethren are here, brothers and sisters who are concerned that the word might reach the hearts of all who listen so that they may continue. And the One who begins the work will complete it. It is a remarkable sight here, and it leads to a wonderful end. We are not persons who have been taken up in such an outstanding way, but we all want to have a distinctive impression that He has called us. We have not come to a circle that has a special name in this world, or is recognized by the world, but His voice is calling and we are to be committed to Him. He does His work, and how wonderful it is! Let us consider it in this way.
His voice is to be heard around the whole globe.
We like to think about Luke 15. The shepherd was looking for the sheep which went astray, and the father is waiting for his son so as to embrace him. The three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned there in figure; They are working to bring about heaven’s joy. And heaven is very much interested in such things. Even the angels are interested in one repenting sinner.
Do we all add to their joy?
It is possible today. Soon it will all be finished, but heaven takes notice of all that happens here. So this work continued, and Paul had to go to the place to which the Lord was guiding him. And it is wonderful to see what he met there. At first he was blind; he was without seeing for three days, and the men who went along with him were “speechless, hearing the voice but beholding no one”. God does a wonderful work! It is only for the one on whom His eye is looking. He sets that one free to listen to Him. Saul was led by the hand. Like a little child, he could not find the way alone. He came to the place where he was to receive help.
“They brought him into Damascus”, and there were persons who listened to the voice of the Lord and would do His service.
They had some questions about it for they had heard about Saul. But the Lord gave Saul this special mark. He says of him, “Behold, he is praying”. The work had started in his soul. He had surely prayed before as a religious man, but if the Lord says, “He is praying”, his prayer was of such a kind that it was heard by the Lord. Ananias was convicted by this to go to meet him. “And has seen in a vision a man by name Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he should see”. You see, this meeting was necessary. The Lord does His work from His own side, that is in bringing the strong man down, and Saul is moving in obedience to go to the place where he would receive more help. His heart is touched in such a way by the grace of God. God has in mind to bring us in touch with what He has down here, and we see that there are those who are available to Him. The Lord says, “This man is an elect vessel to me”. He says, too, “for I will shew to him how much he must suffer for my name”. So Ananias came and laid his hands upon him and said, “Saul, brother, the Lord has sent me”.
So his enemy is
changed into a brother. He could be named a “brother”. What a precious name! He was brought into a circle where this name had a place. The Lord said in resurrection, “Go to my brethren”. And here were His brethren who were in the joy of this blessing. They enjoyed what the death and resurrection of the Lord has brought in, and this is a true home for everyone who is called by Jesus.
The question is, Are we all in it? Do we follow His voice? And have we been moved by it?
Have we been moved to find the place where we can be among those with whom we shall be found together for ever, eternally? There were certainly reasons to question the matter; they had heard what Saul had done; but the Lord did everything well. So Paul became an instrument in what is linked with what we enjoy now. He learned great truths from those who were so despised. How many he had even cast into prison. They were precious to heaven.
What a contrast! He was a quick learner. He was blind three days and three nights, and he went deeply into his own soul. As someone has said, he learned Romans 7 there. He learned what he was in himself as lost, and not usable, nor serviceable. So he could have this touch.
Ananias could lay his hands upon him and could say to him, “Saul, brother”. What a blessing to be brought into a circle where the Lord sees His own as His brethren. And He encourages each one personally. We hear often about crowds getting converted, but I think the personal side is so important, really to meet Him truly, and thus the work in the soul is enlarged. Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit. Each one is to experience this. Received by Christ, they have the assurance of forgiveness, for Christ died for all, and the Holy Spirit is sealing this. Saul was baptized, and he was brought into the circle where God was recognized.
One more point is important, he begins to preach in the synagogue. He preached Jesus, that He is the Son of God. This was not pointed out so clearly publicly before. At this moment it was preached by this man, and he insisted on what a Person this is who is called the Nazarene, the Son of the living God, the basis of the assembly, the focus of Paul’s ministry. It all happened very quickly. We have to confess how slow we are to get into these things.
There is no other way, and there is no other direction than what we find here in this example.
As to the grace, and the character, of Paul’s service, all this should be preserved by us at the present time. There was much speaking against him, but he increased the more in power. That is God’s side, but He stands with us that what He has ordered may be worked out, and went with Paul whatever the danger he went through. He lived for Christ. “But in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”, Galatians 2: 20. What a result for God to take out such a vessel, and to form it so that the whole truth came to light. He had seen Christ in the glory. There had never before been a Man there; now a glorified Man lives in the glory. He now has many here who are formed that they may be there in glory. That comes out in Paul’s service. It is the light that shone out of darkness that it may shine in our hearts—the shining of His glory.
Paul confused the opposers (v.22); he confounded the Jews, and he had to experience opposition. They sought to set him aside; they wanted to kill him. We see then the activity of brotherly love; they found a way to protect Paul and to let him down through the wall in a basket. He got so small that he was able to fit in a basket. This big man became so small! His experience with the Lord set all his greatness aside. He was ready to
link on with what was despised and rejected, but before him was the One who lives in radiant glory and He puts His saints together to prepare them so that there may be a home for Him here to which He can come, and this continues. You see what God can do against the power of the enemy. Satan is defeated. The result is that God secures a gathering of His own. He will have His joy in them eternally, and it starts here. Are there those here who will add to this? “Today, if ye will hear his voice”. Now everyone can respond. May it be that we all are in touch with this, and with what the glory of God brings about, and the glory of God will delight everyone who is, like Paul, prepared to go down. We all would surely want to be found in this. May the Lord bless the word.
Preaching in Chicago
14 October 1990