TEACHING

^[p. 521] TEACHING

John 8: 25 - 30; John 14: 26; John 16: 12 - 14; Acts 2: 42

I have in mind to speak of teaching; to speak indeed of what has been rightly called the divine economy, into which many features of divine administration enter, but I wish to speak of teaching as one of the great features of the economy.

John enlarges on the divine administrative system more than the other evangelists, and in a peculiar way, making it evident that it is the outcome of love, that it is a matter between divine Persons, the Father being the source of all. John’s ministry, particularly his gospel, has in mind the family side. The saints are being prepared, and indeed have been for many years, from the beginning of what we might rightly call the latter-day revival, for the family side and have been nourished in it. John goes to the root of things in his gospel in centring everything, or rather rooting everything, in the Father, not only the Father in power and wisdom, but in love. John tells us that “the Father loves the Son”.

There can be no doubt that it was divinely anticipated that the idea of “father” would enter into the great hierarchical systems which began to take root from an early period in our dispensation; the word “father” has had great place in these systems. Indeed, the expression ‘the fathers’, regarded as authorities, has a great place in the vocabulary of the order of things I have alluded to, and the title father is taken on by a large proportion of its priests. This assumption of the title is over against our Lord’s direct word: “Call no man your father upon the earth”, and that commandment is being ignored. The idea of father has thus laid hold of, and given character to, this great development now extending back seventeen hundred years or more.

^[p. 522] One can discern that the Spirit of God had in mind in John’s gospel the overthrow of all this in the last days, indeed from the beginning, but particularly that the saints, as having been deflected for centuries, should be recovered to the feature of the divine economy conveyed in the expression “Father and Son”, and to what develops from it — Father and sons and Father and children.

That is what I have in mind, and particularly in relation, as I said, to teaching, to show how teaching emanates from the Father, that is what the Lord Himself says in the verse read in John 8. If there are those here who are in any way held by the development I have alluded to, one would refer for their sakes, and for the sake of all of us, to Jonathan; for in teaching, as in all other respects of the work entering into this dispensation, it is a question of the Father. The Lord says, “My Father worketh hitherto and I work” (John 5: 17); and again, “The Son can do nothing of himself” — a marvellous statement! — and “whatever he sees the Father doing ... these things also the Son does in like manner”. That is, all emanates from the Father, whether it be direct injunction and teaching or example.

Jonathan’s was a dark day in Israel’s history, a day made dark by his incorrigible father, Saul, even as our days are made dark by the incorrigibleness of the element I have alluded to; the whole position was darkened, and spiritually made desperate. Israel was beset on every hand by the Philistine armies issuing forth as they would, the soldiers of Saul even wanting in the ordinary implements of war and having to go to their enemies for what they could get. In the midst of such a state of things Jonathan represents those who work with God, and that, dear brethren, is the point: that we are workers with God whatever our service, whether preaching, or teaching, exercising eldership, or any ^[p. 523] form of service, whatever it be, the prime thought surely is to be workers with God. Our work will not be effective otherwise, it will be worse than none, as the Lord says, “he that gathers not with me scatters”. So Jonathan understood fighting in an individual sense, being a man of faith, and the sequel brought out that it was a movement of faith and that he was a worker with God, and, he told not his father. This means that the development I have spoken of is not to be consulted as regards any work of God, it is to be ignored — Jonathan told not his father.

I need not say that he had to say to God; he worked with God, and if we are to work with God we must have to say to Him, to pray to our Father really in secret. We shall learn there who the real Father is. A word for anyone of us, especially young ones, is, “enter into thy chamber”, as we are told by the Lord. The Lord Himself says, “and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee” (Matthew 6: 6). Here in John 8, as you will observe, His remarks to the Jews were not understood. “They knew not that he spoke to them of the Father”. The Father, I need not say, was always nearest to His heart and uppermost in His mind, but they do not understand, as the Lord presses the point, that the economy is a question of the Father and the Son, and that all emanates from the Father, the Son’s place in the economy being one of entire subjection and infinitely real, including even His being taught of the Father. In chapter 5 He tells us that “The Son can do nothing of himself save whatever he sees the Father doing”. How marvellous that this should be said! And why is it said? Is it not to impress us with the reality of the Lord’s position as the sent One, as taking the place of learning everything, and hearing everything,

^[p. 524] receiving communications in regard to everything from His Father?

This in no way, I need not add, beclouds His holy, divine Personality; that is always intact, remaining in its inscrutability, so that here in chapter 5, He asserts that all must honour the Son as they honour the Father — a remarkable combination of facts! On the one hand, He asserts that He could do nothing Himself, and on the other that all must honour the Son as they honour the Father. Let us not be afraid of these statements, dear brethren, but let us look at them in a holy, subject, intelligent way, for without the understanding of them we shall be weak as regards our position in the economy. We are all brought into it as believers, but we are brought into it according to what we are, each in his little measure — the economy includes the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the apostles, and then others of us according to our measure. It is a question of graded authority — delegated authority all emanating from the Father, and as real as delegated to Christ, and as real as delegated to the Spirit, to the apostles, or to any of us according to our measure.

So that the Lord says that He can do nothing of Himself save what He sees the Father doing, and that the Father shows Him all things that He Himself does, and that He would show Him greater works even than these which He was doing; that as the Father raised the dead and quickened them so should the Son. We can thus see that the Lord in asserting the immense stoop He had taken to carry out the will of the Father and to establish the economy, at the same time asserts His own equality with the Father. There can be no question about that, so that He says, “that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father”. And yet there is the most perfect subjection, in everything that He ^[p. 525] did, He saw the Father doing it, or heard from the Father about it.

Then as regards teaching, our passage says, verse 28, “When ye shall have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me I speak these things”. I am speaking now of teaching: “I do nothing of myself”, the Lord says. You may say, I cannot take it in! Well, believe it any way; face it. The understanding of the economy necessitates that we take in these wonderful words in regard of Himself; the reality of the stoop He took; His obedience as the sent One, so that there should be no question in our minds as to how real the matter is. It implies delegated authority, as seen in the centurion’s remarks in Luke 7. The Lord, he said, did not need to go to his servant, but only to speak the word, and he should be healed; “For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers”, he said. The centurion being in a position of authority as a Roman official, understood the idea of delegated authority, for the Roman system was externally very like the divine system in that way, and it is about to be developed again — the trinity of evil in which everything shall be centred in a head, under a father. The cry was, Release unto us Barabbas — the son of the father — that is coming into evidence again in christendom; there is an imitation, and all will emanate from the idea of a father.

Here we have this marvellous statement of the Lord Jesus, “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me I speak these things”. Think of the Lord Jesus saying this, bearing in mind what I have said, that there is no change in the Personality, He is equal with the Father. It is said in chapter 5 that they persecuted Him because He was “making himself equal with God” — but He is! He ^[p. 526] is God Himself, but, in the position He has taken in the economy, He is in absolute dependence; there is no question about it, and as we truly accept it, as a doctrine, and as a principle, the more we shall understand the economy, and the more we shall fit into it, each according to his measure — for every believer ought to fit — but we cannot fit in save on the principle of absolute subjection. It comes down from the Father to the Son, through the Spirit, and through the apostles, and then according to each one’s measure, to everyone, to the feeblest christian amongst us.

I am speaking now of teaching and how the Lord took that place, and in taking it He established what I am speaking of, a state and attitude of absolute subjection and dependence. That all comes down from the Father, and so He goes on to say, “he that has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to him”. That is all an example for us, showing that in subjection and dependence, we shall not be without divine support, nor companionship either; the Lord will ever be found alongside of us; we shall never be alone in our service, as learning from Him, and then what flows out from that is that we do those things that please the Father. Each one is making history in heaven as he serves on these lines; the Father has pleasure in every one of us as we do.

This other thing that I have been speaking of, this development, that has now become so rampant, is another authority, but it is to be ignored. Jonathan did not tell his father, nor should any one of us as in this wonderful system of things which is embedded in love — permeated by love. Why should I tell the father? Why should I recognise such arrogated authority as if I were obligated to it? I am not to do it, but I am to proceed in my service ^[p. 527] according to the pattern set out in John’s gospel, and I am making history in heaven every moment as I do so, and the Father is pleased with me. Can anything be more delightful than the sense that the Father is pleased with me? He was infinitely so with Jesus, not only as His equal, not only as the One He loved before the world was, but as the One who now had taken this lowly place, carrying out the service of teaching as Himself being taught by the Father. Let us not be afraid of these words, I am quoting the Lord’s own words. It is necessary that we should take them into our souls, and understand the position He took, and what an example He set for us. God intends that we are to come into this, and to afford Him pleasure, each in his own measure as moving in the sense of being representative of God and having delegated authority. You say, What! delegated authority to me, with no gift! Well, beloved, we have the idea of giving a cup of cold water “in the name of a disciple” — a disciple is something, he is representative — representative of teaching. The saints acquire their proper place in our minds by what they are in this way, as having graded authority.

We are vested with power. The Lord gave the authority to his bondmen, also “unto every one his work;” so that the work goes on in a way pleasing to heaven. It is not simply that something is accomplished, the first thing is to be pleasing to God, pleasing to the Father. So that the Lord says, “he that has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to him”.

Well now, one may say, Very little would be done if we took these lines, if we ignored human methods that are so successful in evangelical work and missionary enterprise. We may truly get little outward result in these days, but the first great result at all ^[p. 528] times is to please God. That is the point the Lord makes; He says, “I do always the things that are pleasing to him”, and “As he spoke these things many believed on him”. That surely is a result, it is not a question of gift, He is not preaching, or teaching, He is merely stating facts as to the economy, and evidently faith was operative because it says, “As he spoke these things many believed on him”.

I now go on to the Spirit in chapter 14: 26: “the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you”. The Lord, as I have said, takes the ground of being taught of the Father, and then He teaches the apostles, which I will refer to in a moment. All the gospels are full of the Lord’s teaching, and in this gospel His service in this respect has a peculiar charm. In Matthew it is more authoritative, chapter 5: 1, 2, involving also more exercise on the part of the disciples, a side of the truth which is important, although we learn also in restfulness. There is that sort of learning, indeed; perhaps more of it is needed; that is, to lie fallow, absorbing things that the Lord teaches us, taking them in with our faculties all active. There can be no doubt that those who serve are hampered at times because of physical inability. The idea of a vessel that God uses is one in which the faculties are all available, unhampered by physical weakness; and hence those who serve do well to take it into account and not to fail to keep their sabbaths. One takes that home to oneself, it is an important matter to keep our sabbaths.

The sabbath idea is that one lies fallow and absorbs everything that may be available; as the soil absorbs the benefits of the environment, so the believer absorbs the wonderful benefits that flow ^[p. 529] from the operations of divine Persons around him. There can be no doubt that that is needed, and it is perhaps needed more in those who are active in service than in saints generally. The saints generally need to be reminded of the need of exercise in order to grow spiritually. It is not simply that I read a book — according to Matthew the Lord “went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him”. They showed thus that they were interested, and as they came to Him, “having opened his mouth, he taught them”. You see how communications from the Lord hinge on our interest — thank God for so many here today and one assumes that all are interested! The Lord knows, and where there is interest, He never fails to open His mouth and teach, as He did in Matthew 5 — and He taught about blessedness, a very touching thing. Is there anyone in whom God is working who has no interest in being taught about blessedness? No commercial school, no university, no system of teaching of any kind can offer anything like this teaching in Matthew 5. The Lord opened His mouth and taught, and He taught about blessedness, as I said; He began to teach His disciples about the kind of people that are blessed. I want to be amongst these. There are about nine kinds of people He teaches about, that are all blessed.

It is one of the most important things in regard of our position, that we belong to a class of people who are blessed — the Lord would teach us that. It is not simply that He would tell us, but He would teach us, so that the truth is forced into our souls, by gift or power; that is Matthew. We are told in Matthew, as we are indeed in Mark, that the Lord spoke with authority, and not as the scribes. Authoritative teaching is needed at a certain stage of our spiritual progress and particularly in view of the assembly. Matthew is the assembly gospel and ^[p. 530] authoritative teaching is most essential to our place in the assembly, but John’s side is more the home, the family thought: that I am taught where there is affection. Going up to the mountain does not suggest the place of affection, or the home; it suggests authority and it requires exercise. I see that I really need the teaching and go in for it, and in so doing I am taught that I am blessed. John would show us that Christ’s teaching is very attractive, and so he tells us about two persons who followed Jesus — the first two followers that Jesus had, and they called Him “Rabbi”. The Spirit of God stops to tell us what the word means, so that there should be no doubt as to what these two followers of Jesus had in their minds. Then they said, “Where abidest thou?” and the Lord answered, “Come and see”.

It is thus not a question of going up a mountain, but of coming to where He abides, and abiding with Him; that is the principle. That is an initial idea in John, to prepare us; and then follows what I have been speaking of, namely, the Father teaching the Son, and the Son teaching us directly and then through the Spirit. So that in John the Lord says to His enemies as they arrest Him, “I taught always in the synagogue and in the temple ... and in secret I have spoken nothing”. He said, in effect, further, If that is so, why do you ask Me to convict myself? “Demand of those who have heard, what I have spoken” (John 18: 21).

That is the ground to take, it is a question of the teaching. He taught, and who taught like Him! He said Himself, “They shall be all taught of God”. He Himself took that place, and He teaches us, as carrying on the great thought of the administration, the “all things” which the Father has given to be in His hand. The educational department, so to speak, is looked after; He teaches, and the Spirit teaches as subordinate to Christ, for the Father sends “another Comforter”, as asked for by Christ, and also He sends Him in Christ’s name. Notice it is the “Comforter”, a word used as to the Spirit only in this gospel; “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things”. So that we have the Spirit, a divine Person, here under Christ, for the Lord Himself also sends Him.

You will understand that each of the divine Persons may act as God. There are not three Gods, nor three Lords, there is one God and one Lord, but any one of the divine Persons may act as God. The Lord as the Son sends the Spirit, and the Spirit comes and teaches as to the Son, but the Father sends Him too, He sends the Comforter in the name of the Son, as I have said. Think of that precious thought, how the divine Persons are linked together in this wonderful matter, in carrying out what is being done for the divine will and pleasure at the present moment here below.

“The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things”. Why should I go to those fathers that I have been speaking about; you can understand why Jonathan did not tell his father; for it is a question of going on with God. The divine economy antedated all that I have spoken of. It is from the beginning; the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Why should I go to any other father? the more I let them in, the worse for me. I am to proceed on my own line in relation to the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit, I am to hear what the Father says to me, then the Spirit is teaching me; He brings to our remembrance all that the Son said as down here, not only what is written. The Spirit knows everything, and He has everything, and He is opening up things to us that are not exactly written — they are in keeping with what is written — but the Spirit of God is a divine Person here, and brings all things ^[p. 532] to our remembrance. He is the Comforter, and things are being opened up to us by the Comforter.

Now in John 16, as you will notice, the Lord says further of Him, “when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth”. Guide you! this word “guide” is to be noticed. Teaching may go on in a meeting like this; or in what we call a Bible reading, there may be ability to teach as the Spirit gives, and He loves to see those who have ability from Him, using their ability, one after another they may all speak — it is delightful to heaven. You may say we had a good meeting, but heaven knows it better than we, for heaven has part in these meetings. The idea of the Comforter in this respect is that He is by us, and He is making the most of what everyone says. It is not teaching, it is guiding, so that one says one thing, and another says another, according to his measure, and the Spirit being present to guide us, the desired result is reached. We say, We had a good meeting, but what end did we reach and what truth was established? The truth is enforced if the Spirit has His way with us; something will be reached; something definite for the assembly. He guides and puts everything together and makes it one thing. This is what is meant when the Lord says, “But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself”. Let us notice, that it is according to the economy; think of the grace of the Son and the Spirit taking such lowly attitudes. He will not speak of Himself, He speaks what He hears.

Let us take it in, even if we do not understand it. You say, I do not understand; well, accept it as the truth, and you will understand it afterwards. The Lord will give the understanding if we wait on Him. They are inspired words to teach us that the Spirit of God takes such a lowly attitude in this wonderful economy. The point for me is, am I taking such an ^[p. 533] attitude myself, am I learning in my little niche to take it, acknowledging that all flows from the Father? I do not tell any other father, any other self-constituted authority; brethren have done it and have suffered for it, but it is not to be done, for the divine economy must stand, and if it does not stand, we shall not get anything. So the Spirit takes his place, and the Lord says, “he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming”. The word is “announce”, but it is in the sense of making it plain, and how comforted we are as ministry makes the truth plain; it is evidently so, and carries its own weight with it, the Comforter is doing that, the Spirit of truth.

The Lord further says of Him, “He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall announce it to you”. See how blessedly the divine Persons are linked together — Father and Son — like Abraham and Isaac of old. The servant of the house tells Rebecca and her brother and her father’s house, that all that Abraham has is Isaac’s, and he called Isaac his master even as he called Abraham his master. John beautifully links the divine Persons together in this way, for he wants to bring us into this great economy of love, where we are pleasing to God in everything we are doing, as serving in love. “Faith ... works by love”. The Spirit here, we are told, shall glorify Christ, and shows what He receives in the saints; and then the Lord says, “All things that the Father has are mine”.

Well, finally I want to just show how this all worked out in the apostles, as seen in the verses we read in Acts 2. The authority is now delegated to them; it is now in the hands of the apostles, who represent authoritativeness in teaching. The gospels give us the inwardness of all this, but this scripture gives us an account of how the apostles are serving,

^[p. 534] and the Spirit of God gives us, in the verses which follow the one I read, a picture of the disciples — those that believed Peter’s preaching. Now what was it that marked them? Well, they persevered in the apostles’ teaching, and fellowship, and then in the breaking of bread and prayers. The first two ideas are apostolic. The apostles’ teaching and fellowship meaning that they have delegated authority — the Lord gave His bondmen the authority — and the converts understand that it is so. You say, How do they understand? Well, it is a feature of the work of God, that those who are the subjects of it, do understand; and so as Peter preached, those who were affected said to him, but they said to the other apostles as well, “men and brethren, what shall we do?” It is a feature of the work of God that persons are submissive to manifest authority.

The authority is not arrogated, it emanates from the Father, it has come down through the Son and the Spirit, and it is apparent in the twelve apostles. So it comes down to the present moment, and the authority is immediately apparent, in whomsoever it is found; it is accredited to the person who is ministering it. So the service is carried on as there is the authority in it which will make it effective. The converts at Jerusalem spoke to Peter, but the whole twelve apostles are recognised. How do they know that those other eleven had authority? How did they know they could teach? It was the work of God; one can tell in that way where God is working, and also where there is disregard of authority. If the manifest power of God is not working, then the flesh is active, but if God is really working there is always manifest subjection and recognition of what is here as representative of God. You say, Authority is in heaven, but it is down here, too; authority is delegated, and will be to the end. I have often quoted it, the Lord gave “to his bondmen the authority”, the authority is here still, and wherever God is working, there will be the recognition of it. However little there may be, let us understand this authority, and name it and bow to it.

These three thousand people that were affected by Peter’s preaching asked for help, not only from him, but from the eleven; they recognised the authority of the eleven, they all had authority and power, and now it is not simply that they persevere in Peter’s teaching, but in the teaching of the apostles; showing that Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Matthew, Judas, and the others of the twelve, all had power; all these men worked; all these men were recognised by those in whom God was working, as having authority. What I am saying is verified in the fact that all their names are in the foundations of the heavenly city; and that is the testimony that each one of these men had authority and work given to him by Christ; the position that each has in the heavenly city is an unquestionable testimony that he did his work. We have no detailed account of the work of some of them, but what is in the heavenly city is unquestionable; there is the record, whatever silence there may be in history or in the Scriptures. The record is there indelibly, that these men did their work, and as the work of God began in Jerusalem, those who were of God recognised them.

So it is today, that however little power there is, any man, who is the subject of the work of God characteristically, will recognise it. Woe be to him that refuses it. The Lord is against such! Not that I am calling attention to anybody, I am speaking of the principles, of the wonderful dispensation that we are in — the economy — each bondman has his work, and the Lord gives power to us to carry out that work, and it is to be recognised. Well, that is all I have to say. The need for divine teaching is ^[p. 536] great, and so here the testimony is that those converted were baptised, and were added, and they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles.