UNION WITH THE HEAD.
UNION WITH THE HEAD.
You have seen that you are in Christ, sons of God, and that you are with Him, His brethren; now I come to Christ the Head and your union with Him, that you are of Him, which plainly is new creation, as Eve came from Adam; she was called Ishshah because she was taken out of Ish. This is the great mystery. Nothing that you can have, not your best quality as a man, can be joined to Christ, all must come from Him. I shall refer to the Head first, and then to union. Everyone derives from his head; your head directs your life and all your ways. Now Christ is the Head of the body. If Christ is your Head He directs and orders all for Himself. It is a marvellous grace that we should be conformed to the image of God’s Son. I think it is very sad that the highest thought which God has about us, and that which His heart is set on, is that which is least known by christians; for I know no truth that is so little realised as union with Christ. If I look at the type I find that God brought Eve to [p. 394] Adam, and it is similarly true now that each one of us is being conducted by the Spirit to Christ where He is. But then you must learn the Head first, that you derive from Him; and when you know union, which is the climax, you know that nothing can be united to Him but that which is of Him. If you are united to Him you partake of His mind and of His power. It must surely be most attractive to your heart, that when you know union with Christ you will be in consonance with His mind, and He will give you of His own power to do His pleasure. “The heart of her husband confideth in her” (Proverbs 31: 11), would be enjoyed by you. The great impression I desire to lay on your heart is that you are of Him - a new creation; and the higher you go the more it is established. Nothing can be more wonderful than the position into which you are brought; all is of Him - His tastes, His interests, everything becomes yours. The unmistakable mark of a man who knows union is that he has a new set of interests, Christ’s interests. He may and should be attentive to his daily business, but Christ’s interests are paramount with him. One may be doing little as to active service, but the first thought and purpose of the heart will be Christ’s interests. But I only refer now to union with Christ in order to establish that we are a new creation.
I will recall briefly the line I have gone over, in order that each one here may have it freshly before his mind, and thus be able to ponder it before the Lord.
The first point is reconciliation. God has removed from His own eye in the cross all that was contrary to Him; man in the flesh is gone, and He has before Him the Man of His pleasure, and according to that Man He accepts you. If you believe that He who died has been raised from the dead, you are accepted in righteousness, and the testimony to you is that the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in your heart the love of [p. 395] God. Therefore we also joy in God through “our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation”. That is the gospel. That is a wonderful position, the new position. Man in the flesh has gone from God’s eye, and He has received you on the ground of the Man who has done all His pleasure.
Consequent on this the Holy Spirit has been given to you, and He assures your heart of the love of God. Now the same Holy Spirit who has done this makes you “free from the law of sin and of death” in the life of Christ: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free” (Romans 8: 2). It is not only that you know the heart of God towards you, as the prodigal knew that his father loved him when he kissed him; but you know that you are in Christ, you are led by the Spirit, you are the sons of God, you not only know your acceptance, but you can fully enjoy it, because you are in the Spirit.
Next, you know you are the brethren of Christ, and you are associated with Him; you are brought from your own circumstances of trial individually into company with Him, into that bright scene where He is in the holiest of all, a great Priest over the house of God. You know the fulness of your approach to God, and there you learn the deepest wonders of divine grace, and that you have access to the Father. Hence the assembly is the place of blessing, because there Christ’s presence is known, and there His mind is communicated, and as you know Him there you come forth as the royal priesthood to describe Him here.
One word more. The more you learn that Christ is your Head, and also that you are united to Him, the more effective you will be in the assembly; and the more the greatness of the place opens out to you, and the blessedness of His presence, the more will you be for Him here upon the earth, because you understand Him better.
[p. 396] In conclusion let me say, If you really seek help which will cheer you every day, look for Christ first in every circle; whatever be the circle look for Christ first. If a child goes into a room it looks for its mother. In every circle or circumstance or interest may your first thought be, Where is Christ? The Lord grant that each of our hearts may practically learn it. We do not learn it all at once, but we may “grow up to him in all things”. May you see the effect it would have on you if Christ were your one object. You begin with the gospel, you are in Christ; and you end with union, you are of Christ.
The Lord grant that each of our hearts may understand the blessedness of the position to which we are called, a new creation in Christ Jesus, for His name’s sake.