The Way To God's End # 3

The Way of Recovery

(d) Union With Christ In The Heavenlies

Pass to the third passage, in the second part of 1 Chronicles twelve."These are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron." The third state - Hebron. The name means League or Fellowship. It says of Hebron that it was a very ancient city. Its history lay right back in the mists of antiquity, as though outside of this world. This is a very advanced position spiritually. Where do we come to through death and resurrection? What is the next position? Surely it is in the heavenlies. The sovereignty of the Lord Jesus as enthroned now comes into view. It is here they make David king. The whole question of His heavenly exaltation and government as outside of this world comes before us when we come to Hebron. I  think you see quite clearly what this means. We pass from "Romans" now into "Ephesians." It is "the heavenlies in Christ Jesus."  God "raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Eph. 20, 21). David is coming to the throne now, and there gathered to him many to turn again the kingdom to him - at Hebron. It is the Church in the heavenlies that, in type, we see here - the fellowship that is outside of this world, of a truly spiritual nature; union with Christ in ascention in the heavenlies where He is  absolutely, unquestionably Lord. He is made King. He is "Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him That filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22, 23). Well, here it is something more than an earthly society or institution, something more than a company of the Lord's people like a congregation on the earth. It is that thing which is brought out from the antiquity of "before the foundation of the world." "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4) - the Church of the eternal counsels of God. It is a heavenly position, a heavenly thing, a heavenly fellowship, which has broken its contact in spirit with this whole world system even as it is found in the Church.

And there we find at  Hebron they had a very good time. Seven days they feasted, they ate and they drank, and they wanted to have another seven days. With anybody who tastes real, heavenly fellowship, there is no question of "What do you belong to, what denomination, sect, association?" They have left all that behind. They have come into a realm where it is Christ as sole and absolute Lord. If you are ready to excuse Peter for wanting to make three tabernacles! 'Let us not go back to business, let us stay here forever!' That is how we ought to feel. We have, of course, to go back to our business, but what we are thinking of is not of a conference for seven days "in the heavenlies" and then of our leaving our heavenly position and resuming the old earthly one. No! This is to be the constant consciousness of the life of the Lord's people. You have to go back to business, but you can still be in the spiritual good of the heavenly fellowship of the Lord's people, and you must stand for that.

The Way of Fellowship

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7)

The First Letter of John is the "revival" letter; the letter pointing to, and often producing, what, in the best sense of the word, can be called "revival." In John's day things had grown stale. How much the churches had had of apostolic ministry and help! How much information was stored up for them in the Word of God, which at this time was almost completed. They needed anew experience of life, and it was John's special ministry, when the time came, to bring God's message that that should be realized, and that new life should spring up. We, no less than God's people of John's day, are hungry and thirsty - not for more teaching, but - for a new experience among us of the welling up and overflowing of the abundant life of the Lord.

I feel we need to keep in mind, concerning this letter, that it was written in the light of all the previous revelation. Many who have found new experiences of blessing by concentrating on the strong, straightforward message of 1 John, have been apt to regard it as a thing in itself, as an experience on its own - "Revival" - and have been tempted to dissociate this letter from the rest of the New Testament. They have looked on it, perhaps, as an alternative to all the rest that is written. "Let us get away from all that" - into the simple statements and experience of life and light and love laid down in this Letter. How very wrong that approach is! This was written, not as an alternative to the rest of the revelation, but as the means of recovering its power and value.

Continued with # 4 - The Vital Importance of Fellowship