LABOUR

^[p. 208] LABOUR

Hebrews 4: 1 - 16; Hebrews 5: 1 - 10

There is one thing striking in the ways of God, and that is, that His thoughts are repeated through the different stages of the world’s history, as we get it in Scripture, and in that way we see the wonderful continuity of His ways from beginning to end. In this connection we can trace through Scripture the thought of the “rest of God”. It comes out at the very commencement and again and again later, and then at the end it comes out in full development. Just turn for a moment to Leviticus 23: 1 - 3. The sabbath comes out in this chapter not exactly as a feast, but with the characteristics of one, bringing in the true thought of the sabbath. The occasion was the gathering of the people round Jehovah, but it began with the sabbath of rest, and so whenever people are in relation with God we get a sabbath; I do not mean a legal sabbath, but the moral idea of one, figurative of the rest of God. After the works of creation God rested, and then in connection later on in the communication made to Moses in the history of the children of Israel, the sabbath again comes in, and God’s desire was for the people to enter into the thought of the rest of God. Man had never really entered into His rest or His thought of the sabbath. It is easy to see this in regard of man either at the time of the creation or through all the history of God’s earthly people, and then when we come to the time of David in the Psalms (as we get it quoted in this chapter), “As I have sworn”. It refers to what took place in the wilderness: Israel was not to enter into the rest of God, but while they were not to enter, the passage brings in some who would do so — this is implied; it was God’s mind for some to enter into it, and with this conclusion in view we get, “There remaineth therefore a rest”. We get it literally in verse 10, “hath ceased from his own works”. We still have to labour, that is a proof that we have not entered into the rest in actuality, for rest is a cessation from labour; we know it well in natural things. It was so with God when He found His rest in Genesis 1.

Another point in regard to rest is the thought of complacency in that which the completion of the work produces; God could say at the beginning it was all “very good”, and God’s rest was connected with that. Complacency is a very essential element in the result of His labour. He has reached a spot where there is complacency. Sin came in, and all God’s rest was marred by it; but the whole question has been taken up and all been settled in Christ, and He has now become the place for God’s rest. Through Christ it has been passed on in the church, and then by and by creation will be brought into the good of it, as we get in Romans 8: 19, etc. It is only waiting for the revelation of the sons of God down here: it will then all come out in manifestation. I am not now speaking of the new creation, but in reference to what God created at the outset. A great sifting is going on and will go on, but it is for the purpose that there may remain a harvest for God, in which God will be able to find complete complacency. It is an immense thing to have the rest of God before us, and for why? The reason is that we should not find our complacency in things around us. If we want to enter into God’s rest, it is impossible to find complacency in things around, we have to labour, and that is a great contrast to sinking down in satisfaction with the things of this scene. It is a danger we have to keep in view. I do not suppose that any of us here would think of going on in the indulgence of gross sins, but it is extremely possible to settle down here and not to ‘labour’, finding our satisfaction and pleasure in the things of the world. This chapter contemplates the danger: the belief here referred to is not in regard to the gospel as first accepted but in regard to God’s purpose for us; we are “kept by the power of God through faith”, and if faith is not in exercise and if the power failed, a man would perish by the way, and it is applicable to every one of us.

Well now, the Spirit of God would guard us against all this in this chapter. It is a great thing to remember that a sabbath-keeping remains. Israel never entered into it, and we which believe have not entered into it, for we have to labour, though we can now be in the characteristics of it. We have to accept that labour will terminate, but that it is not yet terminated, though by faith the other conditions have been made good in us. If grace has brought you to righteousness, the effect will be to produce ‘labour’.

Now, beloved friends, I want to touch a little upon the divine provision that comes out for us in the latter part of the chapter, verse 12. I think in this passage there is a connection of great interest, that is, in the “word of God” and in the thought of the great High Priest that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. We can put the two thoughts together. The word of God is living, and if we have a living thing it must of necessity be connected with a person. It does not say life-giving, but living, hence I have no manner of doubt that it is connected with a person. The wonderful thing is that when God saw fit to speak to man in His own Person He sent forth His own Son. He has spoken in Him; this is what we get in this epistle, God’s speaking always had Christ in view, whether it was through the fathers or prophets, but at the last He spoke through His Son. He has become His own oracle, and then He passed into the heavens — the great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God. He came into contact when down here with man, and into all the pressure of man’s pathway here — sickness, infirmities, bereavements, and it all produced exercise, and He has carried into the heaven as High Priest the experience He gained. The Son of God as the Word is God coming out, and the Son of God as High Priest is Man going in. We could not ^[p. 211] understand the last without knowing the first.

Now one word more as to the word of God: it is living, discriminating, searching, simply because it is the revelation of God, the expression of God’s thoughts in regard to man, and His thoughts to man of Himself in Christ. We get the living bread in John 6 and we know it refers to Christ, the relationship has its perfect expression in Christ. It was all referred to in the past ages, and through God’s previous dealings, and whichever way we look at it we find a reference to it in the Old Testament; all was foreshadowed, but it has now all been expressed in the Word of God, in the Person of the Son of God. It is God’s perfect revelation of Himself all expressed in Christ. Everything in Him was a revelation of God. The light of the nature of God was all perfectly expressed in Him. If it is a living word, it is also discriminating and we live by it, it searches us; there is nothing more searching than the knowledge of God, it judges us, it breaks down the will of man. If you maintain a will you are not in the will of God. You cannot have anything of strength of will in the presence of the love of God, hence we must give up every purpose of will, and therefore it has to be broken. We get an instance of it in God’s dealings with Job (chapter 33: 17), that He may “withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man”. The ways of God are to that end; if man were right, he would have no purpose, no pride. God’s dealings with us are to draw us away from our own wills. If man cherishes his own will and pride, he is going away from God and cannot enter into the thought of God’s rest. It is impossible to cherish purpose of will or pride in the knowledge of God.

^[p. 212] We are given the living bread as our food (John 6): “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me”.

I have no doubt, beloved friends, the whole universe will live in Christ by and by. The world will be sustained in His life, because He is the revelation of God. Men will walk in the light of God because they will appreciate the grace of God. The bread of God came down from heaven. Then there is another thought in the provision that we may hold fast, He has passed into the heavens as High Priest. Christ has gone to the highest point from the place of the greatest degradation. He came out as the revelation of God to man, and He has gone in that He may be the High Priest in heaven. He has traversed the whole road, He has not gone in as He came out, but He has gone in as having gained practical experience in all the pressure of man’s state. Who can gainsay the fact that man is pressed? Things here affect man as the consequence of his sin; but the blessed Son of God came into this scene and felt the pressure upon man. We get a beautiful instance of it in John 11 when He was brought into contact with all the sorrow at Bethany, Himself took our infirmities, He felt it all in His spirit, even though He worked by His power for man’s relief. Nothing can be more wonderful, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched”, etc., therefore we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

He was brought under man’s pressure, and in the experience He gained by it He is able to succour them that are tried, that is the corresponding link to the One who is at the right hand of God. It seems to me it must have a profound effect in breaking the will of man for him to know there is a heart in heaven touched with sympathy for all tried by the pressure of the way.

The One that came out from God is the perfect expression of God’s mind to man, and He is also the One now in the presence of God (as having been in spirit under man’s pressure) for man. The two thoughts ^[p. 213] formerly separated are now united in the blessed Person of the Son of God. It is a wonderful thing to contemplate the Word of God, the living One, the discriminating One, the Searcher, all naked and open to Him, the One who is the perfect revelation of and expression of God’s mind to man, and then on the other side to see Him as the One who gained in His life here all the experience necessary to fit Him to be a great High Priest in the heavens, pointing us on to the rest where God has found complacency. At the present moment God is working out the question of good and evil in the view of His rest.

Now one word more as to what we get in the next chapter in regard to the calling. He does not take this up of Himself; He was called to it of God. The calling of priesthood belongs to Christ, He was called to it of God. Our calling is sonship. Christ was to sit down at God’s right hand till His enemies were made His footstool. He was called in the power of an endless life. The first according to Psalm 2 on the one hand, and the second according to Psalm 110 “a priest for ever”. Everything was to be of God. In regard to ourselves, I do not deny the truth of christian priesthood, but it must be in connection with Christ, and the point is, we must prove our kindred to Christ. It does not consist in any setting apart by man, or man’s ordination, it will never make a man a priest. We are called to be sons; priesthood is in connection with an endless life. Christ is the Author and Finisher of faith, and our place is to be brought into eternal salvation. At the present moment He is in the place of intercession for God’s house: a reference to this is found in Romans 8. He makes intercession for us, and Sons constitute God’s house. It is a great point to be able to prove our kindred to Christ; He is bringing many sons to glory. May we go on contemplating Christ, and as sons of God come out from God! Christ is the perfect expression of God’s purpose for man; He is making intercession for us. He has reached that place ^[p. 214] in the heavens, after having gone under all the pressure of man’s estate here. And, beloved friends, we cannot rebel against Christ without incurring the consequences: He that is not subject to the Son has the wrath of God abiding on him; he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.

The Son of God is God’s great test to man. I pray for all here, and for myself in particular, that Christ may have a much larger place in our hearts.