As we quickly come to the end of a millennium, I am reminded of five things the historian Edward Gibbon, in 1787, listed as the primary causes of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
This sounds far too familiar and painfully applicable to our present day. Once more, we see the cancer of man's self-centeredness eating away at everything he constructs. The tentacles of Babylon continue to drape over Adam's bestial tower and reach into every avenue known to man. Purpose is replaced with familiarity and destiny is distracted with whatever we find to be routine. The real enemy is never identified, due to all the external things we can find to blame. The spirit of the age grows fatter by the hour as the dust of carnality cakes up on the selfish heart of fallen humanity and blind Christianity.
The only remedy for this unavoidable dis-ease is rejected, because
it demands a life for a life. Nevertheless, we rest in confidence to
this inspired passage: FOR THE CREATURE WAS MADE SUBJECT TO VANITY,
NOT WILLINGLY, BUT BY REASON OF HIM WHO HATH SUBJECTED THE SAME IN
HOPE, BECAUSE THE CREATURE ITSELF ALSO SHALL BE DELIVERED FROM THE
BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION INTO THE GLORIOUS LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD
(Rom. 8:20 and 21).
The fact that it was God Himself that subjected His own creation to vanity is glossed over, hardly considered, or altogether missed by orthodox Christendom. The minds of many have been programmed to picture our Omnipresent, Omnipotent Heavenly Father in a desperate struggle to spare a handful of decent souls from the grip of Satan who is sure to finish this cosmic war with a great number of creation on his side of the scoreboard. BUT WE KNOW CREATION GROANS IN TRAVAIL AND PAIN, AND NOT JUST CREATION, BUT WE WHICH HAVE THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, ALSO GROAN. YET WE GROAN WITH A SPECIFIC EXPECTATION, BECAUSE OF THE VISION GOD HAS GIVEN, WHICH INVOLVES OUR SONSHIP!
Our Heavenly Father expressed Himself through the person of the Son. It was in such a magnificent expression that we find the plan, the purpose, the unmistakable perfect pattern, and divine intention of God's heart desiring something more for His creation than confining us to untried innocence in Eden's paradise.
This may be a very difficult thought for our minds to wrap around. From the onset, it seems so unfair, yet I dare say the "give me convenience, or give me death" attitude of the age and our short sightedness has a lot to do with what we may consider fair and unfair. Orthodoxy and the majority of Christianity may protest the above statements and attribute such thoughts to a cruel being, but never to God. Mankind, apart from the Christian faith, generally staggers and stumbles over the concept of any good coming out of the current state of affairs. Faith is senseless to the faithless, and those who would embrace the faith have far too often magnified a lesser god, while humanism arrogantly claims that man is the ruler of his own destiny. There are those, however, who embrace the sovereign rule of God to an extent that is often objected.
We would like to quote some words from a man who was considered himself an orthodox Christian, Arthur W. Pink: "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving of a world, no shining of a star, no storm, no movement of a creature, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of the Devil-- nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a foundation for faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory."
The above quote is not reflected in the minds of most people, but there will be those who boldly pen such conclusions concerning the extent of God's rule. Sadly enough, there are also those who have an intellectual knowledge of the sovereignty of God and such knowledge remains in a swollen head, rather than penetrating the heart. Until the warmth of an illuminating, God-given revelation has been shot through the heart, we have nothing more than mere information. As we mentioned in Part One, this seems to be "the generation of information."
The result of mere head knowledge that boast of the sovereignty of God, lies fruitless in what becomes "the complacency of man." This takes nothing away from the rule of God, but it does reveal our hearts. To one, such knowledge may result in obedience; to another, it may be justification for disobedience. To one recipient of such knowledge, a heart may be changed for the better; to another, such knowledge may add to the intellect and the heart may remain untouched for the worse. To one person, such absolute rule can humble the soul, while another may grow indifferent and/or arrogant toward others who do not embrace God's absolute rule.
The knowledge of the sovereignty of God without the vision of Sonship is like a life without a destiny or a purpose. Many have laid claim to the vision of Sonship, but the hour is coming, and perhaps it is here, when we shall see who the vision itself has laid claim to! There is a distinct difference between claiming to have captured a vision and being captivated by the vision!
It is quite unique and revealing that the Apostles referred to themselves as prisoners of the Lord. The word they used for prisoner comes from another word which means captive. The way they expressed themselves leaves the obvious impression that it was the love of our Lord and His glory revealed to them that held them captive. Today, many self proclaimed, so-called sons of God are held captive to nothing but their own ego. They spend a lot of time and energy encouraging others to catch their vision, but the true vision is something that first must lead us captive.
The Apostle Paul did not catch the heavenly vision he spoke of in Acts 26:19. The vision knocked Paul to the ground, and from that point on, it held him captive. The brokenness, the humility, the meekness, and the boldness to whole heartedly follow the Lord into the most horrific times of testing, comes as a result of finding ourselves captivated by an urge that proceeds from the very bosom of our Father! This urgency finds us seeking the leading of God in all areas of life. It becomes a paradox that only a true prisoner of the Lord can understand! You see, not only the world views such imprisonment as confining and uncalled for, but many who claim the Lord can see no liberty in having Christ as Lord of every single activity they are involved in. Ah, but to the spiritually minded, only in such confined quarters do we find the liberty to walk in a life that is not swayed by the influence of the world and dominated by sin! Once more, this sort of thing sheds light on what lies hidden in our hearts. Liberty to one man may be the ability to view pornographic material with ease, and this among other things has and is being indulged in by those who say they claim Christ. Nevertheless, true liberty is to be liberated from the slavish desires to give our attention to such unworthy objects and to the dictates of the flesh. The liberty that we are called to partake of is deliverance from the very bondage of sin, not the liberty to sin! Those who are truly captives of the vision did not find themselves prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ by knowledge alone.
The deceitful thing about knowledge apart from divine revelation is the fact that you can accumulate as much as you like without the slightest desire to be led by the Spirit, and you can still hold tight to all the shackles of selfhood that binds fallen humanity. When we have knowledge about Sonship, apart from the vision of what it means to walk such a reality, Sonship is just another piece of information. Sadly enough, when that bit of info has been obtained, it is in such knowledge alone that leads many to boast that they have already obtained the full reality of Sonship. This brings us to once more consider what the vision is not!
Knowledge in itself is not a negative thing, and it is not something
that we avoid altogether to obtain some super spirituality. My
people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected
knowledge, I will also reject thee...
(Hos. 4:6). Are God's people
today destroyed for lack of sermons or sermon outlines? Are they
destroyed for lack of televised Evangelism? Are they destroyed for lack
of entertainment and programs to keep them occupied? Are they destroyed
for lack of bible colleges, seminaries, and other theological
institutions? Before you answer, let us ask ourselves, are we destroyed
for lack of tapes, books, and other informative material? Are we
destroyed for lack of people holding meetings to share the "Kingdom
Message"? Are we destroyed for lack of being informed by other people
about the knowledge of Sonship?
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22 and 23)
In relation to the vision of Sonship, we must take into consideration the knowledge that God requires of His sons. In Matthew 7:23 we find the Lord's response to those who did mighty things in His name in direct relation to our subject. He says, "I never knew you." If you would allow us to emphasize the Greek word for "knew" in a paraphrase, Jesus is saying, "YOU NEVER ALLOWED ANY INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP, IN WHICH WE WOULD COME TO KNOW EACH OTHER BY EXPERIENCE." TO LITERALLY KNOW THE LORD BY EXPERIENCE IS THE KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE SONS OF GOD! THE VISION OF SONSHIP IS A RESULT OF EXPERIENCING THE SON HIMSELF! THE KNOWLEDGE OF SONSHIP IN THE INFORMATIVE SENSE DOES NOT CLOTHE US WITH THE VISION!
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hos. 4:6)
If we read on in Hosea 4:6, we see that Israel had forgotten the law of God. The spirit of whoredom caused Israel to err (Hos. 4:7-13). The law is not the point of this writing, but it does foreshadow something that is totally overlooked by most people. It is almost like some sort of phobia people have with the word law itself. The common attitude is "anything dealing with the law is irrelevant since we are under grace." Nevertheless, God has seen fit to open the understanding of others to see the prophetic nature of the law. In order to even consider it, we must first point out that we are not speaking of renewing an Old Covenant Priesthood with all the animal sacrifices. We are not speaking of rituals and regulations that will maintain our salvation. If you will bear with us, we hope to show that, spiritually speaking, the law prophesied of the life of Christ within the believer. The natural eye may only see Jewish history and the ups and downs of a nation. They can only see an external code of rules engraved on stone too heavy to uphold by powerless men and women. The eyes of spiritual understanding see something far more significant, something that could never simply be consigned to the pages of history. They see something so multifaceted, yet so tied into one central theme, which unfolds the plan of God and the map of spiritual progression for the humbling of the chosen and the lighting of their path.
The attitude which sums up true Sonship was first sounded in the
Psalms
and was confirmed in the Gospel by the Son Himself in an olive press
(Ps.
40:8 and Luke 22:42). I delight to do thy will, O my God... not
my
will, but thine, be done!
Why would such a delight be found and how
is
it that such a declaration is a reality, rather than an empty boast?
Because
God writes His law within the heart! I will put my law in their
inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they
shall
be my people
(Jer. 31:33).
The law is prophetic of a nature that God intends to write upon
the
hearts of His people (Eze. 11:19 and 20, 36:26 and 27). The New
Covenant
deals with that which is internal rather than remaining in the realm of
the external and serving as a shadow of something better to come. What
is written upon our hearts, we do by nature. The final product of such
writings upon our hearts is described in the law. If the truth be
known,
when the very first commandment is etched deep within our hearts by the
finger of fire, in its absolute finality, everything God requires of us
will naturally flow out of our being in obedience to our Father. Thou
shalt have no other gods before me
(Ex.20:3). You see, in order for
Israel
to commit the whoredoms spiritually and otherwise that we find in Hosea
4:6-19, they just simply conduct themselves in a manner that reveals
God
does not have first place in their hearts! The bottom line is that when
our Father is not first, the gates for entertaining all that is
contrary
to Him are open wide.
Now we should understand that without the indwelling of Christ, we are spiritually impotent to respond to God in obedience, and no external written set of rules will save us and make us obey. Rather than making us obey, God has been in the business of making a totally new creation that will walk in the nature that puts no other gods before Him!
The writing of the law on our hearts is one and the same with
God molding
the new man. This is also what is experienced during the Fatherly
chastisements
that we read about in Hebrews chapter 12. As we shared in the first
part
of our series, the vision of Sonship involves this chastening, because
such chastening is like God's judgment. It is inseparable from the love
of God, and what God has joined together let no man put asunder. We
submit
to you that without the vision of going on to maturity, in the steps of
the Son, the law cannot be written upon our hearts, and chastening
cannot
be perceived for what it really is and from Who it really comes. In
relation
to our Sonship, we should consider what is said concerning the Lord
being
a Son. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
which
he suffered
(Heb. 5:8). We also should read this with the
scriptures
that
speak of what the other sons that come after Him are to expect. For
whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what
son
is he whom the father chasteneth not?
(Heb. 12:6 and 7). Will we
receive
Him as Father as He deals with us as a son?
God's divine dealings come with the territory of the vision. As we experience such dealings, we obtain through these life changing experiences the knowledge that only comes by this narrow path, which draws a distinct line between knowing the Lord intimately and knowing of the Lord informatively. With that thought in mind, we would like to not just make a case for the law being written on our hearts, but also we would like to show how this new nature can only come through divine child rearing.
We are not of the persuasion that the Lord's chastenings come through verbal "do's" and "don'ts." That would not put a single ounce of divine nature in our being. However, it does have its place as a restraint to the natural man. It has been said that a child does not have to touch a hot stove in order to learn that the stove is hot. The child can simply obey the command and not suffer the consequences. We do not wish to leave the impression that disobedience is mandatory for our making as a mature son. The Son Himself who blazed the narrow pressurized path to maturity, avoided disobedience. We would like to ask you, what child has escaped the pain of cutting teeth, the awkwardness found in the transition from crawling to walking, and all the challenges that come with growth itself ? What spiritual child has escaped the confrontations of the spirit of the age? Who among the household of faith will escape the contradiction of sinners that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself endured? (Heb. 12:3). What aspiring son has not come to a painful place that manifested the need of laying down our will, our wants, our desires, our passions, and our very soul, so that we may execute the will of God, with not a trace of selfishness to hinder us? Oh, the shameful compromise that has taken place in the name of Christ that has followed the Church down through the ages. Men have set themselves up as leaders and in their spiritual nakedness of halting between two opinions, they try to hold on to the world and hold on to the Lord. The casualties of perpetuating a system that depends on money as its foremost source of power continue to mount, while the true meaning of faith in Christ becomes obscured by the star studded hype that dances across the silver screen of Christendom.
In Acts 17:6, it was said of the Christians, These that have
turned
the world upside down are come hither also.
In all the turmoil, the
threats
of death issued to the faithful, and the persecution that came upon the
Church, those who totally opposed them said, "They have turned the
world
upside down." Their foremost, and I dare say only, source of power was
the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Christ, the very Spirit of God Himself
making His habitation in a living temple. What a glaring contrast in
what
has been manifested today in the circles that have given a back seat to
the leading of the Holy Spirit!
What does this have to do with the law being written on our
hearts?
It was on the day of Pentecost that the Law was given to the Church in
the wilderness (Ex. 19:16-20). The first Pentecost did not take place
in
Acts 2. It was at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:1). Israel did not want to hear
God
for themselves. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and
we
will
hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die
(Ex. 20:19). They
were
afraid that if they heard from God directly themselves they would die.
Beloved, that is the idea! When we begin to hear the Lord speak to our
hearts, we will not be hearing anything that would let the selfishness
of the soul live!
No matter how many strange things people say that God told them, those who know the Lord and are not interested in sparing the self seeking motives of the flesh, will be convicted the minute they are confronted with their missing the mark and they will seek the Lord in repentance, like David when he was confronted by Nathan. It is our opinion that because of such a heart that faced up to the truth, rather than denying it, he was a man after God's own heart (2 Sam. 12:1-13). Many may go on to use the classic phrase, "God told me..." as a green light to do many things contrary to the will of God, but those who find that true righteousness, true peace, and true joy are simply found in being at one with the will of God, will have no desire to entertain anything but His will, even if it means wrestling with their own will until they have laid it upon the alter. They will encounter opposition and temptations. Nevertheless, it is like the saying goes, "You can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair."
Many devoted men and women who have been chosen by the Lord have found themselves coming to a screeching halt as their hearts, perhaps growing a little callous, are tenderized once more by the convicting, still small voice of the Spirit. It is in these experiences that we see that which is not of Christ coming to the surface to be dealt with by our Lord.
It is in the times that our eyes are opened to our need to see the cross of Christ, not only as the instrument of forgiveness, but the indwelling instrument that enables us to lay down our lives and yield to the thump of the mighty hammer, that brings forth the beaten work until the nature is the same as the Master craftsmen that is bringing forth His glorious workmanship in the heat of affliction, for the furtherance of the Gospel, the Body of Christ, and deliverance for all creation! Praise God! (Ex. 25:31, Jer. 23:29, Phil. 1:12, and Rom. 8:18-21).
Although the carnal mind cannot see God writing His nature on the hearts of others through afflictions, the thought has a clear ring of truth for those who have watched the shackles and bonds of fear, unbelief, and immaturity fall off and become consumed in the flames of Fatherly love.
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in
faithfulness
hast afflicted me
(Ps. 119:75). In the Concordant version, the word
for
afflicted is translated humbled. Israel was brought into the wilderness
to be humbled (Duet. 8:2). Unless we see the need for these dealings,
we
will always consider it very strange and perhaps even evil when the
fiery
trials come upon us (1 Pet.4:12). In the midst of all the positive
thinking,
prosperity in the material sense, and what is called "faith" preaching,
these dealings somehow have escaped the minds of many people. In many
circles
today, to receive such dealings from God has been made out to be
missing
God. Those who teach this feel that they have had a more updated
revelation
on the way God deals with His sons, but we find a more consistent view
with the scriptures concerning the praise of an aspect of God's
faithfulness
that has been forgotten (Ps. 119:75). We would like to share the
following
timely words:
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and who can doubt the wisdom? Who would charge the operator with cruelty, in cutting out the proud flesh, that was bringing death upon the man? Thus, when the Lord's painful work separates us from our sin, weans us from the world, and brings us nearer to Himself, what remains for us, but thankfully to acknowledge His righteousness and truth? Unbelief is put to rebuke; and we, if we have indulged suspicion 'that God hath forgotten to be gracious,' must confess, 'This is our infirmity.' (Ps.77:7-10)
This assurance of the Lord's perfect justice, wisdom, and intimate knowledge of our respective cases, leads us to yield to His appointments in dutiful silence. Thus Aaron, under his most afflictive domestic calamity, 'held his peace' (Lev. 10:1-3). Job under a similar dispensation was enabled to say-- 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord!' (Job 1:21. Comp. 2:10). Eli's language in the same trial was, 'It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good' (1 Sam. 3:18). David hushed his impatient spirit-- 'I was dumb; I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it.' And when Shimei cursed him, he said 'Let him alone; let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him' (Ps. 39:9, 2 Sam. 16:11, 12). The Shunamite, in the meek resignation of faith, acknowledged--'It is well' (2 Kings 4:26). Hezekiah kissed the rod, while it was smiting him to the dust: 'Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken' (Isa. 39:8). Thus uniform is the language of the Lord's people under chastisement. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right.
But the confession of justice may be mere natural conviction. 'And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked' (Ex. 9:27) (compare Judges 1:7; 2 Chron. 12:6). Faith goes further, and speaks of faithfulness. David not only acknowledges God's right to deal with him as he saw fit, and even his wisdom in dealing with him as he actually had done, but his faithfulness in afflicting--not his faithfulness though He afflicted--but in afflicting him; not as if it were consistent with His love, but as the very fruit of His love. It is not enough to justify God. What abundant cause is there to praise Him! It is not enough to forbear to murmur. How exciting is the display of God's faithfulness and love! Yes, the trials appointed for us are none else than the faithful performance of His everlasting engagements. And to this cause we may always trace (and it is our privilege to believe it, where we cannot visibly trace it) the reason of much that is painful to the flesh. 'Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end' (Duet. 8:16). Let us only mark its gracious effects in our restoration--instruction (Ps. 119:71), healing of our backslidings (Hos. 2:6,7,14), and the continual purging of sins (Isa. 27:9; Zech. 13:9; John 15:2); and then say 'Is not the faithfulness of God gloriously displayed?' The Philistines could not understand Samson's riddle, how, 'Meat could come out of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong' (Judg. 14:14). As little can the world comprehend the fruitfulness of the Christian's trials; how His gracious Lord sweetens to him the bitter waters of Marah (see Ex. 15:23-25), and makes the cross not so much the punishment as the remedy of sin. He finds therefore no inclination, and he feels that he has no interest in having any change made in the Lord's appointments, revolting as they may be to the flesh. He readily acknowledges that His merciful designs could not have been accomplished in any other way; while under trials many sweet tokens of love are vouchsafed, which, under circumstances of outward prosperity, could not have been received with the same gratitude and delight.--end quote. (from the "Free Grace Broadcaster", issue 169, God's Faithfulness in Afflicting His People, by Charles Bridges)
The above quote seems so out of touch with the majority of
Christendom
as well as the smaller circles that are now declaring they have
arrived.
Many people who boast and zealously announce such a glorious arrival
betray
themselves in their unbroken hearts and proud spirits. To deaden and
deprive
the flesh has become an untouched subject, since it requires a further
dealing of the Spirit (Col. 3:5 and Rom. 8:13). This seems to
conflict
with the idea that we are perfected already and there is nothing left
for
us but to awaken to our perfection, which in essence is obtained
through
simply being informed by those who may be well meaning, but have deemed
the reality of spiritual growth meaningless.
Indeed, it is true that when a healthy natural baby is born, it does not have to try and be a natural human being. It is a complete human baby, nothing lacking of humanity. There is no need for it to try and be a human. In the infant stage it is perfect and whole in that stage. All the fullness of the child's humanity, in its five senses and everything that comes with being a healthy new born, is there in the child.
What we have just stated about the natural child is true for the spiritual child. "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10). The word complete is translated elsewhere as fulfilled, full and supply (Matt. 1:22, 2:15, 17 and 23; 1 John 1:4 and Phil. 4:19). It is translated as perfect in Revelation 3:2 concerning the works not yet found perfect, found lacking, incomplete, undone, and having fault according to the Lord. Those of us in the house hold of faith are supplied spiritually, by the Father Himself. We are now, not going to be or will be, but we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17). We do not have to try to be a new creation. The spiritual senses and everything that comes with being seated in the heavens is within the grasp of the child of God! (Eph.2:6). We have been (past tense) blessed already with all spiritual blessings! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
The thing that we fail to consider and fully ponder in our hearts is the fact that the cute, adorable little baby can rattle the car keys as he drools and makes his voice known, but has no clarity in his speech as far as understanding any language goes. But the loving parents are often so glad the child is becoming aware of so many things and the child is trying to form words of some sort. While it is true the parents encourage the child to learn and grow, no sane person would ever expect their baby to take the keys and go for a drive in the family car! You see, dear reader, we are complete in Christ, but just as a baby may be complete in a sense, the baby has to grow. It has to grow. The child's muscles must be developed. The child must have his senses exercised! (Heb 5:14). When it comes to a full age in another stage of growth the child can take the car for a drive.
We must keep in mind when we read words like complete, they are defined by the context and the usage of the word itself. The usage of a word has a lot to do with the point the Spirit is making, rather than the word being taken at a glance, so others may try to say the process of growth itself can be done away with! A skinny man can stand by a body builder with obvious developed muscles, and some people might say the skinny man has no muscles. That would be a false statement, because the truth is that he does have muscles. They have not yet been developed, but they are there. He does not have to go get some more muscles, he has to develop what he already has. This is true with what we have in Christ as far as our growth goes!
One more important thing that we must keep in mind, and I pray that if anything penetrates the heart, if anything has a ring of truth to it, if anything brings at least a slight wave of sobriety over our minds, if the Spirit would impress anything upon our hearts, it is this: The fact that the language, the terminology, and the phraseology of the Kingdom can be learned and spoken in a way that satisfies the ear, does not mean the process of growth has been completed and the full stature of a mature son is now manifest! It is the writing upon our hearts that truly determines the degree that our nature bears witness to the new creation in Christ Jesus! Our response to the Father during chastening declares the degree that we have been led away captive by the vision of Sonship! That, my dear brothers and sisters, is an entirely different thing from being led away captive by information about The Gospel of the Kingdom! That is far different from being swept off our feet by the soulish concepts that deprive the child of God from knowing His Heavenly Father, due to the fact that growth, which involves the relationship of our Father and His dealing with us as a son, is an outdated revelation! Those who confuse justification with inheriting the land and those who protest the idea of process have either switched horses in mid stream or have never been captivated by the vision in the first place!
I dare say that many who have learned the language have manifested a spiritual version of the child playing with keys and trying to form words. The words are being spoken, but clarity is lacking. The trumpet is sounding by those who care not to make a clear note! The reason for such bold statements is the carelessness and inconsistency so commonly used by those who feel so advanced in their revelation knowledge, or is it in their information? It is as if it is enough just to have our ears tickled with certain phrases, but the out working of the growth process does what terminology fails to do! It breaks us, it shapes us, it chastens us, it teaches us, it causes us to understand this high calling, and it works in us a relationship that those who know not that the chastening of the Father is part of His love, know nothing about.
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Heb. 12:7 and 8)
All of God's children shall be partakers of His chastening, but only those who endure it know God is dealing with them as sons, the others will not know their Father. A bastard is not someone who does not have a father, but someone who does not know who their father is!
In a nice little volume entitled "Pearls Of Great Price," we find a timely quote in relation to all the claims of Sonship that people often make:
"There are many people today talking about and claiming sonship who know nothing whatever of the breaking of the outer shell that the Christ who lives in the reborn spirit may appear. The things that will soon happen universally must first happen individually. Christ must reign until He has subdued all things in the universe unto Himself, but first He must subdue all things in us, His chosen sons -- first the spirit, then the mind, and finally the body, that Christ may be all and in all.
"We have now come to the most important part of this truth. How does the Lord accomplish this breaking of the outer man that it might be brought into subjection to the Christ nature within? It is here that Christians always cringe, for God's great work of breaking the power of the outer man is by suffering, tribulation, distresses, and all manner of affliction. Sadly I tell you that the vast majority of God's people literally hate to hear this. They do all in their power to preserve the outer man who is corrupt after the deceitful lusts. But God has ordained that the outer man shall be crucified that it may fall into the ground and die. We try with all our might to wriggle out of our sufferings. We listen attentively to foolish, unbroken preachers who insist that we have no need to suffer because Jesus suffered for us. But writhe and wriggle as we may God goes steadily ahead with His plan for breaking the outer man, bringing it into subjection to the will of God.
"Why do the righteous suffer? This has been a paramount question in the minds of Christians of all ages. All manner of answers have been given, most of them entirely wrong. How often we have heard some green unbroken person declare that our sickness or our business failure or our desperate heartache proves there is sin in our lives or that we are not right with God! It proves nothing of the sort, but rather that God in love is dealing with us as with sons, breaking the outer shell that the inner life, even Christ within, may shine forth in the glory of the resurrection. When suffering and tribulation pour like a sullen river across your pathway, never forget this divine word of wisdom and knowledge: 'Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.' Heb. 12:6. Never in all history has there been a true son of God who received not chastening. Indeed, divine wisdom has declared, 'If we receive not chastening, then are we bastards and not sons.' Heb. 12:8. The man who can stand by and declare that our suffering proves God's wrath against us knows nothing at all either of the word of God or of spiritual experience. Such unchastened babes as this should not attempt to crawl from their cradles to tell maturing sons the ways of God." --end quote. (George Hawtin, p.81,82).
It is also very important to keep in mind as we acknowledge the Lord in His Fatherly chastisements, that we do not impute the way He chastens us to others. You see, there may be an area in my life that is in need of growth and areas that call for correction, but that does not mean that the way God deals with me is going to be the exact same way He deals with you. We are falling into spiritual pride when we brag about how He chastens us, then throw our experiences across the board as if everyone must have the same experience in order to grow. The fact is that there are those who have already grown in areas and have been dealt with in a unique way that fitted their own individual need. God does not keep playing reruns over and over again, until all of us have the same experience. Oh, we all will be chastened, but it is how He chastens each one of us that differs. Nevertheless, due to His unconditional love, all shall be corrected and all shall be chastened!
As we stated earlier, many fail to see or even consider the prophetic nature of the law, but we see it tied closely to God's process of growth. The process is not endless, and what is left in our hearts after the fiery writing upon our hearts is done declares the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Ark which was located in the Holiest of all, the third place of the tabernacle, was a visible picture in the Old Testament of what was to come in the invisible realm of the Spirit for God's children. The indwelling Christ now makes its home in the true temple of God, which is who we are. The Ark, which typified Christ, always contained the tables of stone on which the law was written. When the results of chastening and experiential workings of the Spirit have come to the place where nothing is revealed in our nature, but the nature of Christ, then the Father has completed the writing of His nature on our hearts, which is typified in the writing of the law on the tables of stone.
We often fail to realize that the tablets of stone, located in the Ark, was really a second writing of tablets. This in itself prophesied of the Old Covenant being taken away and the coming of the New Covenant! The fact that it was the second set of tablets located in the Ark, rather than the first which were broken, should tell us something.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest" (Ex. 34:1)
It is also interesting to note that in Solomon's temple they drew the staves out that were used to carry the Ark and the only thing that was in the Ark was two tablets of stone."And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 8:8 and 9). Unlike the Tabernacle of Moses, there was no rod that budded or a golden pot of manna along with the stone tablets located in the Ark (Heb. 9:4). Why did Solomon have the staves drawn out? Was he doing something just for the sake of being different? No! These things took place for our learning. Every detail speaks to those who have ears to hear the Holy Spirit speak to them through the types in the scriptures!
The Temple of Solomon speaks of the finality of the corporate body of Christ. The staves were there to carry the Ark whenever Israel, the Church in the wilderness, were to move onward in their sojourn. It makes no difference if we travel like nomads or never move a bit geographically. If we are growing in grace, knowing in part, and yet progressing spiritually, we too are indeed on a sojourn. The manna was there for their provision. This speaks to us in type of our daily spiritual bread, a fresh revelation of our need for Christ, who is the wisdom and power of God that strengthens us during our sojourn, just as manna sustained their natural bodies for a season (1 Cor. 1:24). Aaron's rod was used in a time of warfare, which speaks to us of Christ ruling and reigning first in His firstfruits, and we know the warfare is real in us as we experience the conflict of the Spirit and the flesh. Yet, He shall reign through a corporate body until every enemy is put under His foot. In the completion of God's plan the sojourn shall come to en end. The staves are no longer needed to carry an Ark that resides in its permanent dwelling place. The corporate body of Christ is not on an endless journey. Nothing but the tablets were in the Ark, because the Ark was in its permanent dwelling place in the time of Solomon.
Solomon's name means peace; however, during the previous rule of David there was warfare. Although Solomon's reign came to a tragic end, in type, the brief period of peace and His name, speak of the peace that is found in the realm of timelessness, that creation shall know when the ages cease. David's name means loving, and God is love, but there is a constant warfare between those who go on loving the Lord and everything from within that would detour them on their sojourn as well as the spirit of the age, which is from without. Until the last enemy, which is death, shall be put down, there will always be warfare. God's love corrects, and it never fails to do so. Therefore, the ages shall come to an end and harmonious perfection shall be the only thing found between Creator and His creation, for He shall be all things to everyone! Just as the tablets alone remained in the Ark, the nature of Jesus Christ shall remain and be the complement of absolute victory after a time of daily provision and age lasting conflict. All of this must take place until every person born in the death realm of the old creation (Adam) is made alive in the new creation (Christ)! (1 Cor. 15:21-28). God's plan is truly a hard word to the flesh and everything conflicting with His will, but it has a glorious conclusion that the spiritual man can rejoice in now! Only in the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ can we find the lasting peace that shall remain ultimately in a universal reality! Praise the Prince of Peace!