Salvation Now.

(Excerpt - From A.T. Jones)  ***Note- Truly comprehending this message- that Jesus has ALWAYS been near to HIS people through out all time, is amazing.  The enmity that was put between the serpent (Satan) and God's Seed through Mankind (Christ) right when mankind first fell was the promise given to us ALL for salvation through Christ. Right then and there God has forever strived to open the hearts and minds to His love, so that we would know Him, know His love. In every law God's love is there, in every command God's love is there. Jesus is there, salvation is there. ****

That we may have the subject, or rather the particular point of it, clearly before us, I will repeat a few expressions in the passages with which we closed last night's lesson:

At the marriage of Cana, Jesus began the work of breaking down the exclusiveness which existed among the Jews.

Their religion was a yoke of bondage.

The miracle at the feast pointed directly toward the breaking down of the prejudices of the Jews.

Jesus was a Jew, yet he mingled freely with the Samaritans, setting at naught the customs and bigotry of his nation. He had already begun to break down the partition wall between Jew and Gentile and to preach salvation to the world.

Of the disciples at Samaria it says:

They had felt that in order to prove themselves loyal to their nationality, it was incumbent upon them to cherish enmity toward the Samaritans. They were filled with wonder at the conduct of Jesus, who was breaking down the wall of separation between the Jew and Samaritans and openly setting aside the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees....During the two days while they shared the Lord's ministry in Samaria, fidelity to Christ kept their prejudices under control. They would not fail to show reverence to him; but in heart they were unreconciled. Yet it was a lesson essential for them to learn.

Jesus did not come into the world to lessen the dignity of the law but to exalt it. The Jews had perverted it by their prejudices and misconceptions. Their meaningless exactions and requirements had become a by-word among the people of other nations. 

Especially was the Sabbath hedged in by all manner of senseless restrictions.  It could not then be called a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honorable, for the scribes and Pharisees had made its observance a galling yoke. A Jew was not allowed to light a fire upon the Sabbath, or even to light a candle on that day. The views of the people were so narrow that they had become slaves to their own useless regulations.

The Sabbath, instead of being the blessing it was designed to be, had become a curse through the added requirements of the Jews.

The Jewish leaders were filled with spiritual pride. Their desire for the glorification of self manifested itself even in the service of the sanctuary.

As repeated calamities and persecutions came upon them from their heathen enemies, the Jews returned to the strict observance of all the outward forms enjoined by the sacred law. Not satisfied with this, they made burdensome additions to these ceremonies. Their pride and bigotry led them to the narrowest interpretation of the requirements of God. As time passed, they gradually hedged themselves in with the traditions and customs of their ancestors, till they regarded the requirements originating from men as possessing all the sanctity of the original law. This confidence in themselves and their own regulations, with its attendant prejudices against all other nations, caused them to resist the Spirit of God.

Now a few more short quotations:

In all His lessons, Jesus presented to men the worthlessness of merely ceremonial obedience....The Jews had become earthly and they did not discern spiritual things. And so when Christ set before them the very truths that were the soul of all their service, they, looking only at the external, accused him of seeking to overthrow it....He knew that they would use these works of mercy as strong arguments to affect the minds of the masses,  who had all their lives been bound by the Jewish restrictions and exactions. Nevertheless He was not prevented by this knowledge from breaking down the senseless wall of superstition that barricaded the Sabbath.

His act of mercy did honor to the day, while those who complained of Him were by their many useless rites and ceremonies themselves dishonoring the Sabbath.

The Jews accused Christ of trampling upon the Sabbath, when He was only seeking to restore it to its original character. 

The interpretations given to the law by the rabbis, all their minute and burdensome exactions, were turning away the Sabbath from its true object, and giving to the world a false conception of the divine law and of the character of God. Their teachings virtually represented God as giving laws which it was impossible for the Jews, much less for any other people, to obey. 

Thus in their earthliness, separated from God in spirit while professedly serving him, they were doing just the work that Satan desired them to do--taking a course to impeach the character of God and cause the people to view him as a tyrant; to think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God required it, made man hard-hearted, unsympathetic and cruel.

Christ did not come to set aside what the patriarchs and prophets had spoken; for He Himself had spoken through these representative men. He Himself was the originator of all truth. Every jewel of truth came from Christ. But those priceless gems had been placed in false settings. Their precious light had been made to minister to error. Men had taken them to adorn tradition and superstition. Jesus came to take them out of the false settings of error and to put them into the framework of truth.

What could more fully express the thought of the "form of godliness without the power," than do those people and their services in that day? Can you imagine? Every one of these statements is simply another way of stating the truth that they had a "form of godliness without the power."

Now we are in a time in the world's history when that same thing--"the form of godliness without the power"--is cursing the world. And the same truths that were written in the Scriptures against that thing in that day, are the light and truth of Jesus Christ against that thing in this day. The same thing that saved the people from the form of godliness without the power in that day--the same thing that saved the people from the senseless round of forms and ceremonies, of ceremonialism and the ceremonial law, which is simply ceremonialism--the same thing that saved the people from that in that day is to save the people from that in this day.

What saved the people from this thing in that day? "He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances [contained in ceremonies, contained in forms without the power]; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." It was an absolute surrender to Jesus Christ of every interest in the universe and thus finding in Him the destruction of the enmity in that day that saved people from ceremonialism, and nothing short of that will save people from ceremonialism in this day. Nothing short of that will save Seventh-day Adventists from ceremonialism and from following the same track of the old ceremonial law.

[Professor Prescott: I would like to know if we get the thought clearly, because it all seems to center right there.  Are we to understand that thought, that Jesus Christ did at that time really abolish not simply that ceremonial law, but that he did a great deal more than that; that He abolished ceremonial law everywhere and always, no matter how expressed.]

Yes, sir. That is the point exactly.

 

We will come at that in another way. What was the cause of all this? What was the cause of that separation between Jews and Gentiles? What was the cause of their having a form of godliness without the power? What was the matter with the disciples with Jesus at Samaria? 

Enmity. 

Enmity, sin, self. But enmity, sin, self, is all self. 

It was the putting of self in the place of God that not only perverted God's appointed services and forms of service, but added to these a whole mountain of ceremonies and additions of their own, as we have read. What was the object of it all? What were they doing all this for? To be saved; to be righteous. But there is no form or ceremony that even God himself appointed that can save a man. That is where they missed it. That is where thousands of people still miss it. And that is the "form of godliness without the power" and that is ceremonialism, and if you will receive it, that is the ceremonial law, that was abolished by the abolishing in His flesh of the enmity and so breaking down the middle wall of partition.

It was the lack of the presence of Jesus Christ in the heart by living faith that caused them to put their trust in these other things for salvation. 

Not having Christ for salvation, they did these other things, that by these they might be righteous. And thus they took the means which God had appointed for other purposes--they took the ten commandments, they took circumcision, they took sacrifices and offerings, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin. They took all these, which God had given for another purpose and used them to obtain salvation by them, used them to obtain righteousness by the performance of them.

But they could not find righteousness by the doing of these things. They could not find peace. They could not find satisfaction of heart, because it is not there. It was all of themselves. Therefore, in order to be certain of it,  they had to draw out these things which God had appointed and the things which He had said into ten thousand hair-splitting and casuistic distinctions so that they could be so certain to come directly to the exact line that they could be sure that they had the righteousness they were after. Yet all these things did not satisfy. They did not find peace of heart yet, and consequently they had to add a great many things of their own invention and all these were their own invention anyhow. It was all ceremonialism from beginning to end, and it was all done that by these they might become righteous.

But nothing but faith in Jesus Christ can make a man righteous, and nothing but that can keep him righteous. 

But they did not have that. They did not have Him abiding in the heart by living faith so that His virtue itself would shine out in the life through these things that God had appointed, which Christ Himself appointed for that purpose. And therefore when they attempted by these things--simply the expression of their own selves working out thus--to obtain righteousness they missed real righteousness, and thus that self in them built up this that the testimony calls so often "middle wall," "a wall of partition," "senseless exactions," "hedging about"--using the expressions over and over again in almost every conceivable way.

What caused that wall to be built up? Did God build it up? No. Who did build it up? They themselves. And what was it in them that was the foundation of the whole thing? Self. And that self, as we have studied so often, is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And we read that the disciples "felt that in order to prove themselves loyal to their nationality, it was incumbent upon them to cherish enmity toward the Samaritans." To acquire it? O, no, but to cherish it, to hold fast to it.

Then as that enmity, which is simply the expression of self, is that which caused all this wall to be built up, when Jesus Christ wanted to break down the wall and destroy it, annihilate it, what was the only way effectually to do it? Is it the way to break down a wall, a building, to begin at the top, and take off a layer of stone here and another there or to begin in the middle and take out a stone here and another there? No. If you want to break down the whole thing, you take away the foundation and the thing is done. The wall is destroyed, the building is torn down.

Jesus Christ wanted to abolish that whole thing. He wanted to break down that wall absolutely and leave it in ruins. Therefore, He struck at the foundation of the thing. And as the spring, the foundation, of the whole senseless wall was this enmity, Jesus broke down the wall by "having abolished in Himself in his flesh the enmity" and along with that "even the law of commandments contained in ordinances."

[Mr. Gilbert: That word "righteousness" itself has become perverted, so that now the meaning of the word "righteousness" is a man that gives alms; that is, a man that gives a certain amount of alms has obtained righteousness.]

Brother Gilbert, who is a born Hebrew, and a Jew indeed now, says that that same idea still prevails among the Jews. That the word "righteousness" and the idea of righteousness itself, has been perverted and that now it means simply that which they receive as the consequence of that which they have done, in giving alms, or whatsoever it may be, in the way of right doing. It is all righteousness by works, righteousness by deeds,  without Jesus Christ. It is all ceremonialism. and it is just as bad for Seventh-day Adventists today as for any Pharisee in Judea eighteen hundred years ago. All have it who have the profession of Christianity without Christ, who have the form of godliness without the power. It is only the fruit of the enmity, that is all.

Whenever, wherever, you have the enmity, you will have ceremonialism.

You cannot get rid of the thing without getting rid of the enmity, and as certainly as that enmity is there, it will show itself. In some places it shows itself in what is called a color line. In other places it shows itself in national lines--a German line, a Scandinavian line,  etc., etc.--so that when fully developed, there would be as many lines in the Third Angel's Message as there are nationalities and colors on the earth. but in Jesus Christ no such thing can ever be. 

And if we are not in Jesus Christ, we are not in the Third Angel's Message.

In Jesus Christ the enmity is abolished and consequently in Him there is no color line. There is no Scandinavian line. There is no German line, nor any other kind of line. There is neither white nor black, neither Germans, nor French nor Scandinavians nor English nor anything else but just Jesus Christ manifest upon all and through all and in you all. But we will never find that out--even Seventh-day Adventists will not certainly find it out--until that enmity is abolished by a living faith in Jesus Christ that surrenders the will to Him, to receive that living,  divine image of which we heard in Brother Prescott's lesson tonight. That is where we are, and this is present truth today and for Seventh-day Adventists as well as for other people. O, it is still the same cry, 

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities."

Here is another word right upon that. It tells the whole story on both sides:

At that time the Israelites had come to regard the sacrificial service as having in itself virtue to atone for sin, and thus had lost sight of Christ, to whom it pointed.

God would teach them that all their services were as valueless in themselves as that serpent of brass, but were, like that, to lead their minds to Christ, the great sin-offering.  Whether for the healing of their wounds or the pardon of sin, they could do nothing for themselves but to manifest their faith in the remedy which God had provided. They were to look and live.

Now see the present truth:

There are thousands in the Christian age who have fallen into an error similar to that of the Jewish people. They feel that they must depend on their obedience to the law of God to recommend them to his favor.

Who have fallen into that similar error with the Jews? Those who feel that they must depend upon their obedience to the law of God to recommend them to His favor. Is that you? Have you ever seen anybody like that any time in your life? Thank God that He has broken down the middle wall of partition.

The nature and importance of faith have been lost sight of, and this is why it is so hard for many to believe in Christ as their personal Saviour.

It is that same determined drawing of that enmity that will not let go until it is crucified, dead, and buried with Jesus Christ--it is that that draws and draws--"O, I must do something. I am not good enough for God to like me.  He is not good enough to care for one as bad as I. I must do something to pave the way. I must do something to break down the barriers that are between Him and me and make myself good enough so that He can take favorable notice of me. And therefore I must and I will keep the ten commandments. I will sign a contract and enter into a bargain to do it." And then you try to do it as hard as you can.

Here is a passage from Farrar's Life of Paul, page 40, that I will read:

The Jewish priests had imagined and had directed that if a man did not feel inclined to do this or that, he should force himself to do it by a direct vow.

Precisely. And so if you do not have it in your heart to do it, why, you must do it anyhow, because it is right and you want to do right, and so we will sign the covenant, take a vow, "O, well, now I have signed the covenant, of course I must do it. I have no pleasure in it. It is a galling yoke. But I have signed the covenant and I must keep the pledge of course." That is ceremonialism. 

And it springs from the enmity which is self.

There are thousands in the Christian age who have fallen into an error similar to that of the Jewish people. They feel that they must depend on their obedience to the law of God to recommend them to his favor. The nature and importance of faith have been lost sight of and this is why it is so hard for many to believe in Christ as their personal Saviour.

And when Christ is believed in as your personal Saviour, when true faith lives and reigns in your heart, you need no vows to force yourself to do this or that. No, but the heart will always gladly exclaim, "I delight to do thy will,  O my God, yea thy law is within my heart."

But Jesus Christ has broken down that middle wall of partition. He has abolished in His flesh that enmity that would fight against faith and keep man away from God. He has abolished that enmity that would keep man away from Christ, that would put something else, everything else, in place of Christ and that causes men to depend upon anything and everything under the sun for salvation--everything but Jesus Christ--whereas, nothing,  nothing under the sun, in heaven or earth, nor anywhere else, can save, but simply Jesus Christ and faith in Him.  

That is the only thing that saves. And if any one expects to be saved by what he calls faith in Christ and something else, it is still the same old ceremonialism. It is still the working of the enmity. Men are not saved by faith in Christ and something else.

Some may think that is too strong and perhaps I would better read the rest of that sentence:

When they are bidden to look to Jesus by faith and believe that without any good works of their own He saves them, solely through the merits of his atoning sacrifice, many are ready to doubt the question. They exclaim with Nicodemus, "How can these things be?"

Yet nothing is more plainly taught in the Scriptures. Than Christ "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

Man has nothing to present as an atonement, nothing to render to divine justice, on which the law has not a claim. If he were able to obey the law perfectly from this time forward, this could not atone for past transgressions.

The law claims from man entire obedience through the whole period of his life. Hence it is impossible for him by future obedience to atone for even one sin. And without the grace of Christ to renew the heart, we cannot render obedience to the law of God. Our hearts are by nature evil and how, then, can they bring forth that which is good? "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." Job 14:4. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. Therefore he who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. True, man cannot be saved in disobedience, but his works should not be of himself. Christ must work in him to will and to do of His own good pleasure. If man could save himself by his own works, he might have something in himself in which to rejoice. But it is only through the grace of Christ that we can receive power to perform a righteous act.

Many err in thinking that repentance is of such value as to atone for sin, but this cannot be. Repentance can in no sense be accepted as atonement. And, furthermore, even repentance cannot possibly be exercised without the influence of the Spirit of God. Grace must be imparted, the atoning sacrifice must avail for man, before he can repent.

The apostle Peter declared concerning Christ, "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. Repentance comes from Christ just as truly as does pardon. The sinner cannot take the first step in repentance without the help of Christ. Those whom God pardons, He first makes penitent.

Nothing, nothing, nothing but faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone--nothing but that saves the soul and nothing but that keeps the soul saved.

The great trouble with the Jews from the beginning unto the end was in having the Lord so far away that even the things which God had given to signify His perfect nearness were taken and used as the tokens of His being far away. 

Sacrifices, offerings, the tabernacle, the temple, its services, all those things were used by the Jewish teachers and the great mass of the people in such a way that all that these services meant to them was that they pointed to Christ away off yonder somewhere. It was understood that these things meant the Messiah, but it was the Messiah afar off. And they must make themselves good so as to bring Him near, and these things were looked to as having virtue in themselves and so as able to give righteousness.

I am not certain whether Seventh-day Adventists have got beyond the idea of those things back there, that they signified Christ afar off. I am not saying now that Seventh-day Adventists think that Christ is now away off. But I am afraid that they have not gotten away from the idea, when they look at the sanctuary and its services, the sacrifices and offerings, that that was intended to teach them of Christ away off yonder somewhere. So it is said that these things all pointed to Christ. These things did all point to Christ, that is the truth. But it was Christ near and not far off. God intended that all these things should point to Christ living in their hearts, not 1800 years away, not as far off as heaven is from the earth, but pointing to Christ in their living experience from day to day.  When we get fast hold of that idea and then study the sanctuary, the sacrifices, the offerings, in short, the gospel as it is in Leviticus--then we shall see that that meant Christ a living, present Saviour to them day by day and we shall also see that He is that to us today also.

There is gospel, there is Christian experience, for us today in Leviticus, in Deuteronomy, in Genesis, in Exodus,  and in the whole Bible. But when we read those passages and say that those sacrifices and offerings all pointed to Christ afar off from the Jews and expect that the Jews were to look through these services away off yonder to Christ to come sometime--when we read those scriptures and look at them that way, then we are reading those scriptures precisely as the Jews did and we are standing precisely where they did at that time in those scriptures.

That will never do. No. We are not to look at the sanctuary with its furniture and paraphernalia standing as God placed it, with God's presence therein, and think that signified to them that they were to learn by it that God dwelt only in the sanctuary in heaven. When we look at it that way, then we are ready to think that that is about as near as He is to us, because that is as near as we have had Him come to them. For if we look at it for them in that way, then if we had been there in their places, how would we have looked at it for ourselves? In the same way,  and this shows that had we been there we would have been precisely as they were.

The tendency is, even with us, to read of the sanctuary and its services and God dwelling in the sanctuary and the text, "Make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them," and say, Yes, God dwelt among them in the sanctuary and that pointed to the sanctuary that is in heaven and the time is coming when God will dwell with His people again, for He says of the new earth, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and God will dwell with them and be their God and they shall be his people." So when the new earth comes God is going to dwell with His people again. But where is God now? That is what we want to know. What matters it to me that He is going to dwell with His people on the new earth? What matters all this, if He does not dwell with me now? For if He cannot dwell with me now, it is certain that He never can dwell with me on the new earth nor anywhere else,  for He has no chance. What I want to know and what every soul needs to know is, Does He dwell with me now?  If we put Him away back yonder in the days of the Jews and then put Him away off on the new earth, what does that do for us now? How does that give Him to men now? In that way, how is He with us now? That is what we need constantly to study.

Now, you can see that there is a great deal more in that system of ceremonialism than simply a little passing thing that disturbed the Jews a little while and then vanished. For human nature is still and ever bothered with it as certainly as the devil lives, as certainly as the enmity is in the human heart. That mind which is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be--just as certainly as that is in the world and as long as it is in the world, just so long the world will be cursed with ceremonialism. And as long as there is any of that in my heart, I shall be in danger of being cursed with ceremonialism.

What we are to do is to find such deliverance in Jesus Christ, such absolute victory and exaltation at the right hand of God in heaven, in Him, that that enmity should be completely annihilated in us in Him. Then we shall be free from ceremonialism; then we shall be free from traditions and men's commandments, and men making themselves a conscience for us. Men say, "You must do this or you cannot be saved. You have got to do that or you cannot be saved." No, no. Believe in Jesus Christ or you cannot be saved. Have true faith in Jesus Christ and you are saved.

It is the same battle that was fought out in Paul's day and work. He was preaching Jesus Christ alone for salvation. But certain Pharisees "who believed" followed him around, saying "O, yes, it's all well enough to believe in Jesus Christ, but there is something else. You have got to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses or you cannot be saved." That contest lasted for years and against it all Paul fought all the way. He would not compromise a hair's breadth at any point.

"If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." "Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace." 

Nothing, nothing but Christ and faith in Him!

Well, they took it to the council at last, and there the Spirit of God decided that Christ and not ceremonialism is the way of salvation.

That is the whole story. One was an attempt to fasten ceremonialism upon Christianity or rather in the place of Christianity; the other was the living principle of Jesus Christ by living faith, actuating the life and the heart of those who believe in Him.

There is a vast difference between ceremonialism and principle. 

Jesus Christ wants us to find Him so fully and so personally that the living principles of the truth of God, as they are in Jesus Christ, shall be our guide and that those living principles shining in the life of the man by the glory of Jesus Christ shall be our guide at every point,  and we shall know what to do at the time. 

Then we do not need any resolutions or vows to force ourselves to do this, that, or the other. That is the difference between ceremonialism and the principle of the living presence of Christ in the heart. One is all formalism and outward service, without Christ; and the other is all in Christ and Christ all and in all.

Let us look again at the things the Jews were doing back there at the temple services, the sacrifices and the offerings that you may see this a little more fully yet. I know and so do you that the sanctuary, the temple, was a representation of the sanctuary which is in heaven, that the sacrifices were representations of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the priesthood and its service were representations of the priesthood of Christ. In all these things God would teach them and us too of Himself as He is revealed in Christ. There was a sanctuary first and there was the temple built in place of the sanctuary. There was the temple standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.  And from that, God taught them that yonder is the true temple on Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem. God dwelt in this temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, in Palestine, and by that He showed them that He dwelt yonder in the heavenly temple in Mount Zion, in the heavenly Jerusalem.

And He said also--and this was true in both places and from both sides--"Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place." Anywhere else? "With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." When? We are reading away back yonder. When did He dwell "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit," as well as "in the high and holy place?" Did He do this seven hundred years before Christ, when Isaiah spoke? Yes. But did the Lord begin only then to dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite spirit, as well as in the high and holy place on Mount Zion? No.

A thousand years before Christ, when David spoke, did He do it then? Yes. But had He only begun it then? No.  He always, eternally, dwells in both places--with the humble and contrite as well as on high.

Well, then, did not God, in that temple on the earth, teach them not only how He dwelt in that heavenly country,  but how he dwelt in the temple of the heart also? Most assuredly. There was the earthly Mount Zion right before their eyes, representative of the heavenly Zion, which God would have right before their eyes of faith. There upon Mt. Zion, the high and lofty place in the earthly Jerusalem, was the temple and God dwelling in the temple.  And in this God would show that He dwelt not only there but also in the temple of the heart, the sanctuary of the soul, of Him that is of a contrite and humble spirit. And in putting His temple among sinful men and dwelling therein Himself, He was showing also how He would Himself dwell in the temple of Christ's body, among sinful men and in sinful flesh.

There too was a priesthood of the earthly temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. There was a priesthood of the sanctuary at Shiloh in the wilderness. That, it is true, represented the priesthood of Christ, but did that represent any priesthood of Christ before A. D. 1? Shall we say that that represented a priesthood of Christ that was afar off? No. That priesthood in Jerusalem, in the sanctuary in the wilderness, represented a priesthood that was already in existence after the order of Melchizedek? Thou shalt be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek?  No, No. "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Was not Melchizedek a priest in the days of Abraham? and is not the priesthood of Christ forever after the order of Melchizedek?

Do you not see, then, that this whole system of services given to Israel was to teach them the presence of the Christ then and there for the present salvation of their souls and not for the salvation of their souls eighteen hundred years or two thousand years or four thousand years away? Surely, surely, it is so.

O, it has always been Satan's deception and has always been the working of his power to get men, all men, to think that Christ is as far away as it is possible to put Him. The farther away men put Christ, even those who profess to believe in Him, the better the devil is satisfied. And then he will stir up the enmity that is in the natural heart and set it to work in building up ceremonialism and putting this in the place of Christ.

There was also circumcision. Was that a sign of something that was coming away off yonder? No. It was a sign of the righteousness of God which they obtained by faith and which was there present in them who believed and when they believed. It was that to Abraham, and God intended it to be that to every man. But instead of this they had taken it and made it a sign of righteousness by circumcision itself, by works itself. Thus they left Christ all out and put circumcision in His place. It was a sign of righteousness of faith. They did not have faith and therefore they undertook to make it a sign of righteousness by some other means and thus it became only a sign of selfishness.

God gave them His law--the ten commandments. Was it that they might obtain righteousness by that? No, but that it might witness to the righteousness which they obtained by faith in Jesus Christ abiding in the heart. That is what the ten commandments were for, just as they are today.

So were not the sacrifices offered typical of Christ? Yes. But it was typical of Christ present by faith. Was not Christ right there? Was not Christ the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world? Was not Christ a gift of God there before the world was? Then when he called on men from Adam unto all--as long as the sacrifices were offered in that way--when He taught them to offer those sacrifices, what was that but teaching them that that was a token of their appreciation of the great sacrifice that God had already made for them, and of which they were enjoying the benefit by having that gift in the heart which was Jesus Christ?

Well, we need not go any farther. That is enough to illustrate it. Is it not plain, then, that everything that God gave to them in that day was intended to teach them concerning the personal, living Saviour, personally present with them, if they had only received Him? 

And all they needed to do to receive Him was to believe in Him. The gospel was preached unto them. Heb. 4:2: "But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it." How did they come short of it? How? By not seeing Christ crucified present with themselves in the thing which they were doing.

Now when we read over those things and study them, the sanctuary, for instance, and see only so many boards,  and so many sockets and so many curtains and all these in type of something up yonder in heaven and that all there is to it, and not see or know Christ in that in our own personal experience, wherein are we different from them? 

I do not say that is the way that it is done, but I say that if a person looks at it now in that way, then where is the difference between Him and the Jews of old?--There is none. 

Is Christ away off still? No. 

He is "not far from every one of us." What is "not far"? It does not say, He is not very far. No. It says, "He is not far." And as certainly as you get a definition of "not far," you have the word "near." He is near to everybody, to us, and He always has been. He was also near to them and He always was near. 

But by unbelief they could not see Him near. And now, in all those services which He gave them, as well as those which He has given us, He wants us all to see the nearness of the living Christ dwelling in the heart and shining in the daily life. 

That is what He wants us all to see. And He wants us all to see it all. That is the way He wants us to look at it.

Now another thing: What was it that caused all that? What was it that caused them to put Christ afar off and changed the sacred, living services of God into ceremonialism? It was the "enmity." It was self, the enmity of self, that caused it all. And that self expressed itself in unbelief, because it is not subject to the law of God,  neither indeed can be. That put a veil over their faces so that they could not see to the end of that which was before their eyes.

They could not "look to the end of that which is abolished." 2 Cor. 3:13. Not that this end was so far off that they could not see from where they were, clear down to the end of it; that is not the thought at all. But they could not see the object of it. They could not see what was the intent of it, with themselves, at that time.

We are too ready to give to that expression the thought that here was something which pointed to something else away down yonder, and they could not see from there clear down to the end of it. But that is all wrong. No, those things which were before their eyes were intended to point to something right close to them, and that was Christ Himself personally present with them and within their hearts at that time. That was the end of it. That was the object, the aim, the purpose of it.

Therefore, through the enmity, this unbelief which produced formality blinded their eyes and put a veil over their faces so they could not see the meaning, the object, of that which was abolished. Of course not, and as long as that enmity is in the heart of a man even today, it produces unbelief there and it puts a veil over his face so that he cannot see to the end of these things that were abolished. He cannot see that the object of these things was the living presence of Christ in the temple of the heart day by day, as the service was going on. It all means Christ and He is not far, the object, the end, of all these things is right near, but they cannot see it. Why? Let us read now that passage in the third chapter of second Corinthians, beginning with the first verse:

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of the stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter--

Letter of what? Of "the new testament." 

They had the letter of it, did they not? They had the letter of the new and the old both, but all they had was the letter, and was in the letter.

Who also hath made us able ministers...not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth.

What letter kills? Letter of what kills? Letter of the New Testament, as well as any other letter. Here is a book:  There are some letters in it. Those are simply the forms which express ideas. Those letters are not the ideas, they are the forms that contain the ideas and convey those ideas to us. Those things back there were the letter, the forms, that contained the ideas, the spirit, and the grace of God. That is true, but in it all they saw only the letter.  Did they get the idea, the grace, the spirit? No, they had only the form, the letter, even as we read in Romans 2:20: "Which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth." There is the law of God. Take it there as a man sees it in letters, that is the form--the perfect form, too--of knowledge and truth. Take it as it is in Jesus Christ, and we have the thing itself, the complete idea of it, and all the grace and the spirit of it.

That you may see this, I will read one of the finest expressions I have seen upon that subject: "The righteousness of the law was presented to the world in the character of Christ." In the letter of the law we have the form of it. As man looks at it and sees it as it is in tables of stone or on a leaf, he sees the form of knowledge and truth, but in Christ we have the perfect substance and idea itself. In the letter we have the perfect pattern,  the perfect form, of knowledge and truth; yet it is only the form. In Christ we get the very substance and idea of knowledge and of truth expressed in the words, the letters, which are the form containing the truth. So then,  while the letter killeth, "the spirit giveth life." Thank the Lord!

But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away,  how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face.

Why was it necessary that he should put a veil over his face? Was it to keep them from seeing it? Was it to prevent their looking to the end of it? No. It was because "their minds were blinded." 

Moses came down from the mount with his face radiant with the glory of God. But their sinfulness which was the consequence of their unbelief, which was the consequence of the enmity, caused them to be afraid of the bright, shining glory of God and they ran away. When Moses discovered why they did not come near, he put a veil over his face. And this veil was upon his face simply because of the veil that was upon their hearts through unbelief. Do you see?

They could not see the object of that glory upon Moses's face. Why? Because their minds were blinded. But were their minds blinded only then and at that time? No. "Until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away."  Where? When? "In the reading of the Old Testament," the veil is still there.

But O when the heart "shall turn to the Lord, then the veil shall be taken away," because in Christ is abolished the enmity that created the unbelief.

Their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

Upon how many hearts is the veil then? Upon every natural heart; for the mind of the natural heart is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. "Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Where? O, in Him in whom we find the abolition of this enmity, in whom we find the breaking down of all this formalism, in whom we find the annihilation of all ceremonialism in whom we find life, the light, the bright, shining glory of Jesus Christ--in Him there is liberty. Now, in the Old Testament, in the services which He had appointed, in the rites and forms which He there gave, we shall see Christ; and in the performance of all that is appointed we shall see only the expression of the love of Christ that is in the heart already by faith.

We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

I am glad that Jesus Christ has abolished the formality. He has cleared away, broken down, and left in ruins, that middle wall of partition that was between men and taken it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. When we in Him and with Him are nailed to the cross, then we find the enmity abolished, the wall broken down, and we are all one in Jesus Christ; Christ is all in all, and all this, in order that God may be all in all.

 

Seventh Seal Opened.

John's vision continued and here we come to the seventh seal. Remember…

 

Rev 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 

 

The book had seven seals upon it and six were opened by the only one worthy to open them- the Lamb of God- Jesus Christ our Savior.

 

John saw Jesus open the seventh seal…

 

Rev 8:1  And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 

Rev 8:2  And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 

Rev 8:3  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 

Rev 8:4  And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 

Rev 8:5  And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 

 

Silence in heaven for half an hour. If we are dealing with prophetic time- a day for a year then a half an hour is about seven days.

John then saw the seven angels standing before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

 

Seven days-Seven angels- seven trumpets.

 

Then another angel came into view and stood at the altar of the heavenly sanctuary. This angel had a golden censor. This censor holding angel was given MUCH incense to offer- and the offering would go up with the prayers of ALL saints right there on the golden altar right before the throne of God.

 

John saw the smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the saints moving up before God from the angel.

 

Then the angel took that censor and filled it with FIRE of the altar. After the censor was fill with fire from the altar, the angel threw the censor to earth. This action caused voice, thunderings, lingtenings and an earthquake upon the earth.

 

Pausing here for a moment I'm going to insert an excerpt from D&R, as Biblical scholars can explain thing much better than I can.  Please note these suppositions are just that here because we are not in history right now, but in history unwritten.

*******

 

VERSE 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

 

The series of seven seals is here resumed and concluded. The sixth chapter closed with the events of the sixth seal, and the eighth commences with the opening of the seventh seal; hence the seventh chapter stands parenthetically between the sixth and seventh seals, from which it appears that the sealing work of that chapter belongs to the sixth seal.

 

Silence in Heaven. - Concerning the cause of this silence, only conjecture can be offered, - a conjecture, however, which is supported by the events of the sixth seal. That seal does not bring us to the second advent, although it embraces events that transpire in close connection therewith. It introduces the fearful commotions of the elements, described as the rolling of the heavens together as a scroll, caused by the voice of God, the breaking up of the surface of the earth, and the confession on the part of the wicked that the great day of God's wrath is come. They are doubtless in momentary expectation of seeing

 

p 476 -- the King appear in, to them, unendurable glory. But the seal stops just short of that event. The personal appearing of Christ must therefore be allotted to the next seal. But when the Lord appears, he comes with all the holy angels with him. Matt. 25:31. And when all the heavenly harpers leave the courts above to come down with their divine Lord, as he descends to gather the fruit of his redeeming work, will there not be silence in heaven?

 

The length of this period of silence, if we consider it prophetic time, would be about seven days.

 

VERSE 2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

 

This verse introduces a new and distinct series of events. In the seals we have had the history of the church during what is called the gospel dispensation. In the seven trumpets, now introduced, we have the principal political and warlike events which were to transpire during the same time.

 

VERSE 3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.   4.    And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.   5.   And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 

 

Having as it were, in verse 2, brought out the seven angels, and introduced them before us upon the stage of action, John, for a moment, in the three verses last quoted, directs attention to an entirely different scene. The angel which approaches the altar is not one of the seven trumpet angels. The altar is the altar of incense, which, in the earthly sanctuary, was placed in the first apartment. Here, then, is another proof that there exists in heaven a sanctuary with its corresponding vessels of service, of which the earthly was a figure, and that we are taken into that sanctuary by the visions of John. A work of ministration for all the saints in the sanctuary above is thus brought to view. Doubtless the entire work of mediation for the people of God during the gospel dispensation is here presented.

p 477 -- This is apparent from the fact that the angel offers his incense with the prayers of all saints. And that we are here carried forward to the end, is evident from the act of the angel in filling the censer with fire and casting it unto the earth; for his work is then done; no more prayers are to be offered up mingled with incense; and this symbolic act can have its application only at the time when the ministration of Christ in the sanctuary in behalf of mankind has forever ceased. And following the angel's act are voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake, - exactly such occurrences as we are elsewhere informed transpire at the close of human probation. (See Rev. 11:19; 16:17, 18.)

But why are these verses thus thrown in here?   Answer:   As a message of hope and comfort for the church. The seven angels with their warlike trumpets had been introduced; terrible scenes were to transpire under their sounding; but before they commence, the people of God are pointed to the work of mediation in their behalf above, and their source of help and strength during this time. Though they should be tossed like feathers upon the tumultuous waves of strife and war, they were to know that their great High Priest still ministered for them in the sanctuary in heaven, and that thither they could direct their prayers, and have them offered, with incense, to their Father in heaven. Thus could they gain strength and support in all their calamities.'

 

To be continued by the grace of God.

 

May we seek the blessings promised as we READ, HEAR, and KEEP what we are learning, as our Lord would have us listening to His instructions.

 

The salvation plan unfolds - ultimately to culminate in salvation for those who choose to follow Christ always, and in all ways.

 

 

Seek For It, Pray For It, Believe For It.

(Excerpt)

 

We are still studying what we have in Christ. We must [not] forget that the Lord has raised us up and set us in Christ at His own right in the heavenly existence. And thank the Lord that that is where we abide, in His glorious kingdom. We are still studying what we have in Him where He is and what the privileges and the riches are that belong to us in Him.

 

We will begin this lesson this evening with Eph. 2:11, 12, 19:

 

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God

 

Well, I am glad of that. Our place is altogether changed, our condition is changed. And all this is accomplished in Christ; this change is wrought in us in Him, for "he is our peace."

 

But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace,  who hath made both one [God and us, one], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;  having abolished in his flesh the enmity...for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace....For through him we both [those that are far off and those that are nigh] have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 

 

Now therefore [for this reason, because we have access unto the Father in him--for this reason] we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints.

 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 

Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 

Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 

Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 

Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 

 

 

The German gives another turn to the words in the nineteenth verse, thus, "So are ye now no more guests and strangers, but citizens." The force of that will be seen more clearly when I mention that in Leviticus where our Bible reads "strangers and sojourners with thee," the German gives it, "The guest and the stranger that is with thee." So in Christ we are no more strangers and foreigners; we are not even guests. We are closer than that.

 

Eph. 2:19 again:

 

Ye are no more guests and strangers but fellow-citizens and of the household of God.

 

A guest is not one of the household; he is one who is welcome but he merely comes and goes. But the one who belongs to the household comes and stays. The German word where our word "household" is used will help us to see the real relationship signified. The word is Hausgenossen and is a derivation of essen, which means, "to eat." Housgenossen is one that eats in the house and lives there. He is at home, and when he comes in, he does not come in as a guest. He comes in because he belongs there.

 

That text shows the contrast thus far between what we were and what we are, but there are other texts that bring us still nearer than that. Turn to the fourth chapter of Galatians, beginning with the first verse and get the full contrast:

 

Now I say, That the heir [one who is in prospect of the inheritance], as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world; but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant.

 

We are not in the house as a servant--no more a servant. We are servants of the Lord, that is true, and our service is due to the Lord, but what we are studying now is our relationship to the Lord and the place He gives us in the family.

 

This shows that the Lord gives us a closer relationship to Himself than that of a servant in the household. We are not in that heavenly family as servants but as children.

 

"Wherefore thou art no more servant but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." The view given us here is of the child, who may be the only child; all the property of the parents will fall to him in the regular course of heirship, but he is a child yet, and he is under tutors and governors and is trained and guided in the way that the father wishes until he becomes of such an age that the father will call him into closer relationship to himself in the family affairs and in the business and all the affairs of the estate. While the boy is a child, he does not know anything about the business affairs of the estate. He has something else to learn before he is taken into that closer relationship, even to his father, but when he has received the training that his father intended him to have and has reached the proper age, then the father takes him into a closer relationship with himself. He will tell him all about his business affairs. He may give him a partnership in the business and let him have an oversight of it equally with himself.

 

Now turn to John 15:13-15. It is Christ who is speaking. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants." "The servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever." There is a good reason why Jesus does not call us servants any more. We are to abide in the house forever. We belong there; our home is there. "I call you not servants," I call you sons, because the son abideth in the house forever. We were strangers and foreigners before; he brought us closer than even a guest, much less a stranger. And he brought us closer than even a servant who would think of living in the house as long as he lives. He brought us closer than the child who has not yet reached the state of manhood. He brings us beyond all that, into the estate of friends and sons in possession, to be taken into the councils of Him who is head and owner of all the property.

 

Read the rest of this verse. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:  but I have called you friends." He does not call us servants, because the servant does not know what his lord does. He calls us friends, because he is not going to keep anything back from us. Jesus says, "I call you not servants; for the servant does not know what his lord is doing." I take you closer than that. I call you friends.  Why? "I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

 

You see, then, that He proposes to take us right into His home councils. He has no secrets to keep back from us.  He does not propose to keep anything back. This is not to say that He is going to tell it all in a day. He cannot do that, because we are not large enough to grasp it all, if He were to try, but the fact is He says to us, All things I have heard of my Father I make known to you. You are welcome to a knowledge of it. But He gives us time so that we can get His truth. How much time does He give us? Eternal life, eternity. So we say, "Lord, go ahead;  take your time. Tell it. Tell us your own will. We will wait to learn."

 

Now look at Ephesians again. There is a word which, taken with the German, illustrates this yet more fully. Eph.  1:3-7:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. [The German reads, "Heavenly possession," heavenly goods.]: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before him in love:  having predestinated us into the adoption of children [we are coming to the same point we had a moment ago]  by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glory of his grace,  wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.

 

"Made known unto us the mystery of his will"; the German word for "mystery" here is geheimnis. Geheimnis, in German, is, of course, the same as our word here "mystery." It is secret. But we want to go back to the root of that word and then we will see the secret that we are after here. Now it is true that geheimnis is a secret thing or something that is mysterious, concealed, or covered. Now secretly, in the German is heimlich. Joseph of Arimathaea was a disciple of the Lord, but heimlich--for fear of the Jews; that is, secretly for fear of the Jews. But what does that heimlich signify? Heim is home. Geheimnis is the private home affairs, or more literally, home secrets. In every family there are what are known as family secrets. They belong of right only to the family. A stranger cannot come into these. A guest may come and go, but he has no right ever to become acquainted with any of these family secrets. They are not made known to him. Now that word "secrecy,"--the sacred secrecy of the family affairs, between husband and wife and children--those things that pertain particularly to the family, to the home interests, and the secret counsels of the family--that is the idea of the German word for "secret" or "mystery." So now Jesus has taken us into his home and makes known to us the geheimnis of his will--the home secrets of the heavenly family. The Lord takes us into such intimate relationship to himself that the secret things of the family--even the very home family secrets-- are not kept from us. He says so.

 

There is another verse that we can read. Now note: there are affairs of this divine family, there are secrets of this family, that date from away back yonder, long before the time when we ever entered the family. We were strangers to the family. We had no connection with the family at all. But the Lord called and we came, and now He has adopted us into the family and brings us into that close relationship to Himself in which He proposes to make known to us all the family secrets. In order to do that, as we found awhile ago, we need a long time in which to be there, and He needs a long time to do it, any way, because our capacity is so small in comparison with the great wealth of this, that it will take a great while for Him to do it.

 

More than that: we need one to tell us this who is thoroughly acquainted with all the family affairs from the beginning. Is there any one in the family that is acquainted with all the family affairs from the beginning and who will undertake to show us around and tell to us what we are to know? Turn to Proverbs 8, beginning with verse 22:

 

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he had prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him,  as one brought up with him.

 

Now He is the one who has said to you and me, I call you not servants, but friends, for the servant does not know what the Lord doeth, but all things that the Father has made known to me, I make known to you. And He is there as one brought up with Him from the days of eternity He was there. Now He says, I call you friends,  because all that the Father hath told me, I tell you. He not only gives us time in which to have Him tell it, but He is one who is qualified to tell it, because He has been there from the beginning. He knows all these affairs and He says that nothing does He propose to keep back from you. Well, brethren, that shows that He has a great deal of confidence in us. I will read a word that came in the last mail from Australia and you will recognize the voice:

 

Not only is man forgiven through the atoning sacrifice, but through faith he is accepted through the Beloved.  Returning to his loyalty to God, whose law he has transgressed, he is not merely tolerated but he is honored as a son of God, a member of the heavenly family. He is an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

 

But it is so natural to think of ourselves that He does only tolerate us when we believe in Jesus; to think that by forcing Himself to do so He can bear our ways a little longer, if by any means we can make ourselves good enough so that He can like us well enough to have confidence in us. I say, It is so natural to put ourselves in that position. And Satan is so ready to talk to us like that and to get us to put ourselves in that position.

 

But the Lord does not want us to stand hesitating and doubting as to our standing before Him. No, sir. He says,  "When you have believed in me, when you have accepted me, you are accepted in me, and I do not propose to tolerate you merely to try to get along with you. I propose to put confidence in you as in a friend and take you into the councils of my will and give you a part in all the affairs of the inheritance. There is nothing that I propose to keep back from you. That is confidence.

 

I have heard people say that they were thankful for the confidence they had in the Lord. I have no objection to that, but I do not think it is a very great accomplishment or a thing worthy of any very great commendation that I should have confidence in such a being as the Lord, considering who I am and who He is. I do not think it a very great draft upon me to have confidence in the Lord. But it is an astonishment that He should have confidence in me. That is where the wonder comes. Seeing who He is and what I was, then that He should take me up and tell me in plain words what He proposes to do with me and how close He takes me to Himself and what confidence He puts in me--that is wonderful. Looking at it in any way whatever, I say, it is an astonishing thing to me all the time and something that draws upon my thanksgiving that God has confidence in me. That He should have any confidence at all in us, that is a great thing, but the truth is that there is no limit to His confidence in us.

 

From the texts that we have read you can see that there is no limit to His confidence in us. Is there any limit to a man's confidence in a friend whom he takes into his household, makes one of the family, and takes right into his own family and home secrets? You know that it is the very last point that a human being can reach in confidence and friendship among human beings, that the family secrets should be laid open to him and he should be welcomed to them. When a man takes another into his own home affairs and his own family secrets, that demonstrates that that man has no limit at all to his confidence in the other man. Yet that is precisely the way the Lord treats the believer in Jesus.

 

That other man may betray the sacred confidences that this man has placed in him, but that does not alter the fact that this confidence was put upon him. So we may fail in our appreciation of the confidence which God has put in us and men may indeed betray the sacred trust, but the point is that God does not ask whether we are going to do that or not. He does not take us upon suspicion nor does He merely tolerate us. He says, "Come unto me." You are accepted in the Beloved. I put confidence in you. Come, let us be friends. Come into the house, you belong here. Sit down at the table and eat there. You are henceforth one of the family, equally with those who have always been here. He is not going to treat you as a servant, but he will treat you as a king and make known to you all there is to know.

 

Brethren, shall not that draw on our gratitude and friendliness to the Lord? Shall we not treat Him more as He treats us? Shall we not let that confidence draw upon us and cause us to yield to Him and prove ourselves worthy of that confidence? As a matter of fact, there is nothing which so draws upon a man's manliness anyway,  as to show confidence in Him. Suspicion never helps Him.

 

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

 

Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 

Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

 

Now the sixteenth chapter and the twelfth verse: "I have yet many things to say unto you." To whom? Let us not put this away back there to those disciples. It is to you and me, here and now. Has He not raised us up from the dead? Has He not given us life with Jesus Christ? And "along with him" has He not raised us up and seated us "along with him" at His own right hand in heaven? "I have yet many things to say unto you." Who has?  Jesus. "But ye cannot bear them now." Very good. Eternity will give me room to grow in knowledge and understanding, so that I can bear them. We need not be in a hurry.

 

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for [that is, because] he shall not speak of himself." That is, He shall not speak from Himself. It is not that He shall not talk about Himself; that is not the thought. It is true He will not talk about Himself; but the thought here is that He will not speak as from Himself. He does not set Himself forth and propose to tell something as from Himself, just as He, when He came to the world, did not speak from Himself. For He said, "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself."  "The Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak." John 12:49.  And just as Jesus set not himself forth to tell something as from Himself, but what He heard from the Father, that He spoke; so the Holy Spirit speaks not from Himself; but what the Spirit of God hears, that He speaks.

He shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.

 

Very good. Here we are of the heavenly family. Jesus is the one who has been in the family from the beginning and to Him is given charge of us and He is the one who is to tell us all these things. And it is written, you know,  that "they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." Good! He has something to tell us, He has something to show us and he gives the Holy Spirit as His personal representative, bringing His personal presence to us, that by this means He can reveal these things to us, that by Him He can speak to us what He has to tell.

 

He will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

 

Now why did Jesus say that the Holy Spirit shall take of mine and show it unto you? Because "all things that the Father hath are mine: therefore, said I, that he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you." How many things are there that the Holy Spirit is to show to us? All things. All things of whom? All things that the Father hath.  There is nothing to be kept back.

 

Now turn to 1 Cor. 2:9-12:

 

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

 

As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 

We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and God has appointed Him "Heir of all thing." "All things," then, that the universe contains He has prepared for them that love Him. All things that the Father hath,  he has prepared for them that love Him. That, of itself, should draw us to love Him. But as eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have ever entered into the heart of man, these great things, how, then, can we know them? Ah!  "God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

 

Why does He search the deep things of God? to bring them forth to us. They are too deep for us. If the Lord should open them up to us and say, Enter there and find out all you can, we could not find them out. They are too deep, but He does not leave us thus. He proposes to reveal them to us, therefore He puts all into the hands of Jesus, who has been brought up with Him and who is one of us and Jesus Christ reveals them unto us by His Spirit.

 

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.

 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God.

 

What does he say? We have received it. Let us thank Him that we have received it. Why, I saw the other day a line from the Testimony of Jesus, that some are looking for the time to come when the Holy Spirit is to be poured out. It says that the time is "now," and that we are to ask and receive now.

 

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as being in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it.

 

He says, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." "Now we have received...the spirit which is of God." Have we not surrendered to Him? Have we not given ourselves completely to Him? Have we not opened our hearts to receive the mind of Jesus Christ, that we may know Him that is true and be in Him that which is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ? And this is the true God and eternal life. That being so, then "because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts." He hath sent it forth; He says so. Therefore thank Him that He has and "receive ye the Holy Ghost." Receive Him with thanksgiving and let the Spirit use us, instead of waiting and longing to receive some wonderful outward demonstration that will give us such a feeling that we think, Now I have the Spirit of God. O, now I can do great things. It will never come to you in that way. If the Holy Spirit were to be poured out upon us tonight as it was on Pentecost, the man that had that idea of it would not receive any of it.

 

But I say, We must revolutionize our thoughts concerning this and get them off from any outward demonstration that we can see with our eyes or that will give us a tangible feeling by which we shall know that we have the Spirit of God and that we shall be able to do great things.

 

God has spoken the word; He has made the promise. He has raised us up and seated us at His own right hand in Jesus Christ and now He says, Everything is open to you and the Spirit is there to show you everything and tell you everything that there is to know. What more can we ask then? What more can we ask of Him, to show His mind and His willingness that we shall have the Spirit of God now?

 

Heaven is waiting to bestow it; what is required to receive it? Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it.

 

When that is done there is nothing that keeps Him back; when that is done, then all that He asks us to do is to "receive the Holy Spirit." He tells us how to receive it; it is to seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. And he that believeth has received. If we ask according to His will, He hears us, and if we know He hears us, we know we have the petition that we desired of Him.

 

The Spirit of God is leading us. The Lord has led us into His truth thus. He has raised us up unto heights by His truth that we have never known before. What has He raised us up there for? He has shown us what is essential.  It is to give up the world and everything but God only, to all eternity. Surrender all plans, all prospects,  everything you ever had your mind upon. Drop out self and the world and everything and receive God and be bound to nothing but God. Then we are in Jesus Christ at the right hand of God and all the universe to all eternity is open to us and the Spirit of God is given to us to teach us all these things and to make known the mysteries of God to all who believe.

 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

 

Therefore, let us all now take this text as our text of thanksgiving, our prayer, to which we shall say, Amen.

 

Eph.  3:14-21.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [What do you say?], of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named....That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height.

 

What is all this for? So that we may know what that is which He has given us, that we may comprehend and hold and grasp and enjoy forever all that He has so freely given us in Christ.

 

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

And let all the people, forever, say, Amen and Amen.

 

1895 G.C. Sermon #21   by A.T. Jones

No More Tears.

John, given a vision by Jesus, given a revelation for all mankind to take heed. Those who read, understand, and live will be blessed. Keeping- is living. Keeping- is making what we learn a part of us. Keeping- is holding dear what we know. Keeping is- a part of the blessing.

 

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

 

This isn't some fanciful story meant to entertain us. We aren't supposed to read this and let it go in one ear and out the other. We are not told to read and hear, read and understand, read and keep for no reason. God WANTS us to READ, God WANTS us to HEAR, God WANTS us to KEEP the knowledge all this wonderful knowledge. Is it confusing? In a lot of ways it is confusing, but God will enlighten us as we need to be enlightened, we have to believe this, we have to.

 

Continuing our study- We've just read about the opening of six seals, and after the sixth was opened we were given more insight into things and here again we are given still MORE insight.  After this.. After what he was just shown he was shown more…  After 144,000 people of God are SEALED by an angel of God so they are not hurt by the wrath of God to come, John is shown….

 

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 

Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 

Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 

Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 

Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 

Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

 

A great multitude, a multitude that is not capable of being numbered by man. In this multitude there are people from all nations, all kinds, all languages no exemption to this- these people are from everywhere on the entire planet. They all are standing before the throne of God, before the Lamb. All of them are clothed with white robes and all have palms fronds in their hands. They ALL cry out with a loud voice and say-

 

Salvation to our God which sits on the throne and unto the Lamb!

 

All the ANGELS are standing around the throne- also around the elders, and four beasts (all of which are mentioned earlier in vision). These all fall before the throne of God and the Lamb, they fall on their faces and they WORSHIP God. These say- Amen. Blessing, Glory, Wisdom, Thanksgiving, Honor, Power, Might -  be unto OUR GOD forever and ever.

 

Now John hears one of the elders.... What are these in the white robes? Where'd they come from? 

 

John answers... Sir, you know.

 

The elder replies... These are they which came out of great tribulations, they've washed their robes, they've made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. Because of this they are before the Throne of God, serving Him day and night in his temple. He that sits on that throne will live with them. They will no longer be hungry or thirsty. The sun, heat none of it will hurt them.  The Lamb will feed them, and lead them to living fountains of waters. God will wipe away all tears.

 

What is quite obvious here is these are OVERCOMERS, these are VICTORIOUS, these are SAVED, these are SEALED, these are GOD'S forever and ever and ever! God will be with them forever! These are the REDEEMED! These are the true CHRIST FOLLOWERS! These are YOU AND ME IF WE ARE CHRIST'S!

 

I want to touch on one point here- God wiping away ALL TEARS from our eyes.

 

I cry. My heart breaks for the horrors committed by humankind upon others- man, woman, child, animals. My heart breaks for the pain- given, received, warranted, unwarranted. So much heart break, so much pain, this world is filled and overflowing with pain of all kinds. I cry. I cry so much sometimes I fear I might never stop. The agony of this world is overwhleming. We need God to wipe away our tears, because the tears are pain suffered in so many ways by so many for so long. God wiping away ALL tears. The pain will be over, the heart breaking agonies no more... no more. Such a glorious day that will be! No more tears.