Calling
A Written compostion of the Heavenly Calling Network Study Group
Chapter
15
It will be wonderful for
you if you very carefully note these closing verses in Ephesians
chapter two because they are so rich and so full of truth that you will
miss something if you don't pay close attention.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ... Because of this ... you are no more
strangers and foreigners, ... They were largely Gentiles by nature.
They were strangers out side, foreigners, aliens. But no more now. Well
what is the difference Paul? Well, this is what your are now ... but
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; ... It is
a pity, and there isn't really anything that can really be done about
this, but we can't just get over into our English language the
insistence that the Holy Spirit has put in the Greek on the word house.
Or home. Word after word in these three verses has got this word,
house, in its make up. Because right at the heart of things there is a
tremendous teaching that is going to be given to us about a home. A
habitation for God. God's home. But of course we look at it from our
home don't we. We think of our homes. And we think, yes we are going to
a home in glory one day, but have you ever thought of it from God's
stand point? Do you ever think of God's home? Have you ever thought of
it that He is seeking a home? Or wanting a home? Or making a home? That
is another thought entirely isn't it. Well He is. And there is a
tremendous emphasis on this word home in this context.
When Paul says that your are no more strangers, your not outsiders,
foreigners ... but fellow citizens with the saints, ... You can say,
yes, that is quite understandable. You are now fellow citizens with
other believers. and of the household of God; ... A very strange thing
is here. Yes, a very strange thing. This is just not what the original
does say. What does it say? It says, you are fellow citizens of the
saints, ... You see our English translator's couldn't do anything with
it. Because that doesn't make English. I can be a fellow citizen with
you. Your a saint of God. Your one of His saved children. I can be a
fellow citizen together with you and along side of you. But I can not
be very well a citizen of you can I? No. What would that mean? Do you?
You can't be a citizen of me. You can be a citizen with me. So what
does God mean when He says fellow citizens of the saints? The first
thing we have to do with all scripture problems is to face up to it
fairly and squarely. Now that is just what many of the children of God
just don't do. They want to get out of the difficulty so they slither
off this way or that way with some explanation, that satisfy's them of
course, but is not really facing fairly and squarely what God has
written. And you don't get out of the difficulty by ignoring that word
of and putting with in its place. Just for the simple reason that God
didn't write it.
Well you must say, how are we going to get out of the difficulty? This
is the point. This word saint is the trouble. What does the word saint
mean? It means holy doesn't it. Holy. It is a wonderful thought. You
have rejoiced in it many times doubtless that if you are saved person
in Christ that is your standing. You are holy. Your a saint. That
doesn't mean to say that you are holy of your self because your not.
Your a sinner. Reckoned and clothed with His righteousness makes you a
saint. And when God wrote through the Apostle Paul at Corinth, well
that was one of the most carnal of all churches. Look at the things
Paul had to say. They were anything but saintly in themselves. Yet Paul
addresses them as saints. Saints, holy ones in Christ. We can only
understand it as we see that what we are in Christ is one thing. And
what we are in and of our selves is something very different. So a
saint can mean a saved person who has all the fragrance, the Holiness
of the Lord Jesus Christ reckoned theirs by God. That is a marvelous
thought isn't it.
But not only that, you can not only have a holy person but you can have
a holy thing. Sometimes in the original you have got this word holy
referred to people. Sometimes it is connected to the word thing. Not
people at all but holy things. There are holy things of God. The
Tabernacle in the Old Testament is one of the examples of the holy
things of God. All of them, as we know, reflecting in some measure the
glories, the person, and the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. The
richness that you can find when you study the tabernacle. All
reflecting some aspect of the work of Christ. These are holy things.
Looking in another epistle, the one written to the Hebrews, where this
word holy, in fact has the same expression as Ephesians chapter two,
occurs. But this time it is going to be represented in quite a
different way. As a matter for fact, this the Holy Spirits commentary
on the tabernacle. And if you every did a study of the Tabernacle of
the Old Testament never study it without a reference to Hebrews chapter
9 because you will be throwing away the key. This is the Holy Spirits
commentary on His own tabernacle. It is what it means. He is talking
about His Holy place. The first part of the Tabernacle was severed off
by a curtain. A veil. Then there was the most Holy Place.
Hebrews 9:6 Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go
in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services; 7
but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not
without blood, ... this was the day of atonement ... which he offereth
for himself, and for the errors ... Greek here is ignorances ... of the
people: 8 the Holy Spirit ... Now what is He going to teach us in this.
... this signifying, that the way into ... Or this access that we
looked at before ... the holiest of all was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: ... The phrase holiest
of all is the same as the word saints in Ephesians chapter two. Now
then, instead the word saints for people, we translate it as it is in
Hebrews chapter 9 what do we get? Now therefore you are no more
strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens of the holiest of all and
the house hold of God ... That makes sense. We can keep God's word of,
and it makes sense. Your not fellow citizens of any earthly city. Oh
here is the heavenly reality. The most holy place in heaven. The
earthly Tabernacle was a picture, says the epistle to the Hebrews, of
heavenly things. The pattern of things in the heavens. And so God
warned Moses and said, Now when you make it you make it according to
the pattern shown to you in the Mount. That means to say that
everything that Moses made was reflection of the reality of what is up
there in heaven. So, there is a real Holy of holies up there then? Yes.
And in this company, in this new creation, you, by God's redeeming
grace, have been made citizens of that heavenly holiest of all. The
inner most shrine of heaven.
In the original there are two word for the word temple. One word means
the temple as a whole. The other means this inner most shrine. naos.
And is the word that is used in the next verse. The Holy of holies The
Most Holiest place of all that God would not let anybody go, except
Aaron, and he could go in once a year. Now Paul says, did you
appreciate the wonder of it? What the Old Testament believer could have
never have known, never could know, long to know, God is now building.
And you are fellow citizens. Paul is going to change the figure in a
bit and call you a living stone in this temple that He is building. But
this is no earthly temple. Get that quite clear. This is no earthly
temple. If it was an earthly temple it would be literal bricks of
mortar. In this temple that God is building, you are the bricks. First
of all redeemed by His saving grace. Shaped by the Holy Spirit. And
don't you have a wonderful picture of it in that temple of Solomon's.
When that temple was built, it has been said that when you went to the
temple site, you wouldn't have heard hardly a sound. You would have
heard of no hammer or axe. You wouldn't have heard of any shaping of
the bricks or bashing them about. Never. They were all fashioned at the
quarry. And then brought to the Temple sight. Then silently put into
the place to be built up. Oh look at what the Holy Spirit is doing,
silently, no sound, no noise. He is taken sinners and redeeming them
and saving them. Shaping them and putting them as stones in His temple
and building up the temple.
What for? Well it is to be a home. For God. Don't loose anything by our
old English word habitation. It is just the Greek for home. We don't
often use those old fashion words today. Its very rarely said when you
talk about your house, that it is your habitation. You say that is my
home. You don't say my habitation is there. And of course this is the
old English of 1600. So don't let it rob you of anything. This is the
modern word home. So read it again won't you.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens of the holiest of all, and of the household of God;
20 And are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, ...
You see this temple has a sure foundation. Oh, the foundation is the
Lord Jesus. And of course, in a sense, He is the foundation for all of
God's purposes. There is no purpose that God is working out, for earth
or heaven, that is not coming on that one foundation. If it is not on
it, it will never last. If it is not on it, whether it is Israel in the
future, or the church up in glory, it could never stand and would never
last. But it is all going on that foundation for that foundation is so
wide, so vast, so secure, that God can put all His redeemed children on
it. But that doesn't mean that we are all going in to the same place.
He has got various plans. He is going to put some up there into glory.
Some will be down here on the new earth when that is done. Redeemed and
restored by Him. They will go where He wills. Where He chooses. But
their all on that foundation. Underlying the whole lot is this secure
and immovable foundation, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner
stone; ...
You might say, well it doesn't say that. It says the foundation of the
Apostles and Prophets. Well yes. When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended,
chapter 4, we are told that He gave some gifts. Lets look ahead for a
moment. Ephesians 4:8
Wherefore he saith, When he ... That is Christ ... ascended up on high,
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. ... Then there is a
parenthesis. What did He give? Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ... Note the time
period. When did He give it? When He was born at Bethlehem? No. When He
started His public ministry? No. This was after Calvary not before it.
When he ascended up on high, ... We have no right to alter that. We
know when He walked this earth He called twelve men and appointed them
and gave them work to do. They can't be this ministry. That was before
Calvary. But when He ascended, at the ascension, this was a new order
of ministry.
First of all Apostles and prophets. Yes because they were a foundation
in this sense, not that they were displacing Christ, but don't you see
that there was no New Testament at that time. There were only the Old
Testament scriptures. All they had was the individual letters which the
Apostles wrote to the various groups. The Colossian church would have
their own letter that Paul had written. So did the Ephesians and so on.
As for having a completed New Testament they hadn't got it. So there
had to be a foundation ministry. And God laid a hold of people like
Peter and Paul and the others and specially equipped them for laying
this foundation work. But once that was finished and once this New
Testament was finished there was no more need for Apostles and
prophets. The work was done. There are some people whom are quite wrong
and unscriptural if they claim in this time to be an Apostle. Or a
Prophet in the sense that Paul was. Quite wrong. They were necessary
until the great foundation of God's word was completed. We have
something better, in a sense, we've got the completed word of God. This
living word never changes. The word that lives and abides for ever.
We have these three things following, ... evangelists; and some, ...
shepherds, that is the word for ... pastors ... and teachers; ... And
then they have their ministry for the body. 12 For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ... building up ...
that is the meaning of the Greek word oikodome which is lost in todays
English as translated as edifying ... of the body of Christ: ... Oh
this is a wonderful goal in which we will look in to more deeply when
we get there. But this is the meaning when you come back to chapter
2:20 ... built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone; ... You see, they pointed
all the time the way to Christ as being the real foundation. But until
God's word was completed where could God's people look to. They
couldn't say, well, show me in the New Testament it says so, because
there wasn't one at that time. So in this special way these men were
equipped to lay the foundation. And that foundation was the Lord,
Himself.
Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together grows to
an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom you also are built together for
an habitation ... There is that word house again. Built together for a
home ... of God through the Spirit. ... You need to look at that a
little more closely. But before you do, remember reading before about
this word saint, which you can re render and be perfectly faithful and
consistent as the Holiest of all because it has already been done so in
Hebrews 9. Look at another place where it occurs. So that you can see
how we gain by rendering it this way. Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks
unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: ... Now the word saints is just the
same as the word in Hebrews 9. So lets render it. who has made us meet
... sufficient ... to be partakers of the inheritance of the Holiest of
all in the light: ... Now think. Think of the added understanding that
gives you. The earthly copy, the tabernacle, had its most holy place
didn't it? The Holiest of all. And in that Holiest of all was the
blazing Shakinah glory of God. Which they knew that no body could see
and live. They knew that. And they are quite right.
God's glory is such that no body in this present fleshly body could
ever see it and live. If you had the slightest fragmentary glimpse of
it, it would have an awful effect upon you. Look at what it did to
Paul. He saw it on the road to Damascus and was blinded for three days.
Look at what it did to John, John saw Him in the book of the Revelation
and fell at His feet as dead. Daniel saw it. And he said, all my
strength was turn to corruption. Isaiah saw it. And he said, I am
undone, I have unclean lips. Look at the effect of it all the time. Not
even when we are redeemed, walking this pilgrim pathway are we in the
position to see God's glory. Thank God that we are going to, but we are
going to have new body's won't we. We'll have to have, as Philippians 3
says, body's fashioned like the body's of His glory. Then we will be
able to. But these present earthly bodies, these old tabernacles, no.
You remember Moses. How he longed to see God's glory. He says, show me
thy glory. What was the Lord's answer to Moses. God said, all right
Moses, I'll show it to you. Never. God said, I'll make my glory pass.
But, He said, I'll cover you with My hand. You shall see My back parts
but My face shall not be seen. Not because God didn't want to show it.
It was because He knew very well it would consume him. Moses wouldn't
be able to stand it. Moses you can't see that yet. Your not in fit
position. This body of yours won't stand it.
You see, this blazing glory of God, the light. There it is. Up in the
reality. Up in heaven. In that Holy of holies, which the earthly
tabernacle was a copy, is the full blaze of God's glory. Lets see this
all working out in 1Timothy chapter 6. Paul charges Timothy,14 That you
keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of
our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall show, who is the
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; ...
You've got it clear don't you, that this this the Lord Jesus Christ
don't you. ... 16 Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light ...
Here it is ... which no man can approach to; whom no man has seen, nor
can see: ... Now then, that is the Lord Jesus, in all His glory that is
not veiled in any sense. You see all the time if He is going to come
down, He has to veil His glory. That is what He did when He came to
Bethlehem didn't He. Veiled in flesh that God hid. If God hadn't veiled
it they all would have been consumed. So all the time when He has
appeared He veiled Himself to some degree. You can not bear that glory
now. But here He is, dwelling in the light that no man can approach to;
whom no man has seen, nor can see.
Now then,The Father who has made you sufficient to be partakers of the
Holiest of all in the light. That blaze of Glory where He is. What you
can't do by nature, this work of the Father has made you sufficient
for. And that is one of the glory's of this new calling. One of the
glory's of this new calling is that it is going to take you out of the
realm of earth into a higher home, a more wonderful home, that is full
of the blaze of God's glory. He has made you meet for it. Made you
sufficient. Oh to see Him in that blaze of glory at that day. Now we
can't. 1Timothy chapter 6 has told us that. Then we can. As a matter of
fact Ephesians chapter 1 says that you are going to be before Him in
love. Literally it means before His face. The face of His glory. What a
wonderful thing isn't it. There such truths wrapped up here that we
want out minds enlarged to try and comprehend some thing of what God is
doing through this church that He is building up. What is He doing? He
is building up a home for Himself. A habitation of God. When He saves
the last stone, the last member in which He has chosen in Christ, when
He shapes that person, when the last person has been put in to this
temple and the temple is complete, then the home is complete for God.
What is He going to do? Well, He is going to dwell in it. That is the
whole point.
Up to now, what the scriptures has shown us is this, that God has been
seeking a dwelling place, but He has only had temporary ones. He has
only had typical ones. You say, how do you know that? Because the
scriptures tells us so. When God redeemed Israel out of Egypt one of
the first things that was said was this to Moses, Exodus 25:8 And let
them make me a sanctuary; ... What for? ... that I may dwell among
them. ... Now then, that tent, that tabernacle, was a typical dwelling
of God. It was a place where God dwelt alone. His redeemed people
couldn't go there. They were kept outside. This is something that you
must understand. This difference between the earthly and the new one.
One man, Aaron goes in, and that is only once a year. Here Aaron went
in because he was a type of Christ of course. And Aaron could only go
in with the shed blood.
In this calling, God is not only going to redeem you but He is going to
constitute us as the Holy of holies. The very temple it self where He
can dwell. The reality. You say, well is there another one as an
anticipator? Yes. Isaiah 40:22 It is he ... That is God, that is
Jehovah. ... that sits on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a
curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in: ... The heavens,
to dwell in. Did you ever think of creation, when God created the
heavens, that this word says, He made it for a place to dwell in. Think
of it. That is what the scriptures is teaching us. This great creation
must be a place for His dwelling. He stretched out the heavens to dwell
in. But if your are asked, is that going to be His permanent dwelling?
The answer is no. Because this heaven is going to pass away. It isn't a
permanent thing. What God has been doing is having typical homes all
the time, anticipating the real one. And what you have got here in this
calling is the permanent one. This is the one that is going to last
forever. This is the one which is going to be the most wonderful one
because we are going right up to the Highest place of all. And you, by
His saving grace, and the choice of the Father, are going to be living
stones in that temple. Can you imagine anything more wonderful than
that. It is overwhelming. A permanent dwelling place of God through and
in the spirit. Not in the flesh. Not in the world. Not down here. But
right up there. Now that is what God is doing.
There is something else. At the present time, the figure God uses for
this company, this church, is a body. A body, which is the fullness of
Him that filleth all in all. And of course it is a body, a figure, that
we can understand. We have bodies. We express ourselves through our
bodies. We couldn't do it any where else. If we hadn't got a body then
we would be ghosts or spirits running about. You couldn't see anything.
But here, we have bodies. We have eyes. We have a tongue that can speak
and we can express what we think through our tongue. Bodies, we express
ourselves with. And God has deliberately chosen that figure because
now, while the Lord Jesus Christ is absent, He is expressing Himself to
a world that knows Him not, through His body. That is what He is
meaning it to be. Is He expressing Himself through you? Do others that
don't know the Lord Jesus, can they see that we are members of His
body? He the absent one, speaking through us. Does life and lip testify
of the Lord Jesus? That ought to make us think.
But mark you, that is not its permanent title. Ephesians 1:23 ... the
body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. ... Have you ever
heard of this church called the fullness of Christ? It's one of its
titles. It ought to be. The fullness of Christ. Think about it. Because
the Holy Spirit uses it. The fullness. That speaks of filling doesn't
it. When is this church going to be the fullness of Him that filleth
all in all? Now, we can thank the Lord all the way through that He has
taught His people, like we teach our children, by picture. You know how
helpful that is when dealing with young people. One of the first things
that you can remember is an alphabet with pictures. God doesn't mind
teaching His children by pictures. All the Old Testament types are only
pictures. Pictures of the Lord Jesus in some respect.
Going back to this temple which God allowed Solomon to build. You
remember first of all that David is the one that wanted to build it.
David was concerned, oh I've got a magnificent palace and what does the
Lord got? He only has a tent to dwell in. That was good spirit wasn't
it. That was fine to feel like that. And David told the Lord that. And
the Lord didn't say, Now David, don't you worry. The tent is quite good
enough for me. He didn't say that. But what God did in His mercy is
while Israel was not home, they haven't got to Canaan, while they had
to be pilgrims living in tents, God said, now I will live in a tent
with you. I'll sojourn with you. You will be sojourners with Me. That
is what He actually said, strangers and sojourners with Me. Oh the
wonder of it, that God said, if you haven't got a settled home, I
haven't got a settled home either. A tent.
But when they got in to the Land, oh now is the time for the permanent
thing. And so God said to David though Nathan, that is a good intention
on your part David. But I can't allow it because you have been a man of
war. You have shed much blood on the earth and that will spoil the
type. Solomon your son shall be this temple. I'll let you gather
together all the materials for it but it is Solomon who is going to be
the peaceful one. So Solomon is going to build it and He honored David
for the intention. And God allowed David to gather, and David gathered
all the best he could. All the timber and the gold and everything and
all that Solomon had to do was to put it up. David was guided in
putting up that temple by the Holy Spirit. Just like Moses was in the
mount. So we are told that, He made my understand by the Spirit, all
the dimensions, nothing left to guess. It is a picture of heavenly
things.
Lets look even closer to see what happens when this temple is
completed. 2Chronicles 5:1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the
house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things
that David his father had dedicated; ... the things he had assembled
... and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among
the treasures of the house of God. ... One thing you should love about
David is this, which is a lesson that we all should want to learn. This
man gave the Lord his best. That is the thing to remember. Don't offer
the Lord anything but your best. Don't anything just for Him. Don't let
your actions speak like that. Do you remember in that time in Israel's
apostasy, covered by the prophet Malichi, when they were offering to
the Lord any old thing. The lame and the maim, the worst of the flock.
Any old things was brought. And what did the Lord say, offer it to your
earthly governor and see if he will except it. They were offering God
things that they wouldn't even offer to their employer. What a terrible
thing. Oh, by the way, stating this is not an endorsement of tithing in
any way shape or form, which is another topic all together. But do lets
remember knowing that our best is nothing worse from one angle.
Certainly. But that does not excuse us to say, well I won't bother and
give Him any old thing. Never. Always give Him your best.
David assembled the very best. David said, the Lord's worthy of it. And
so He is. And here we fine that he assembled those things. And Solomon
has finished the house. And then it says, 2Chronicles 5:11 And it came
to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the
priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by
course: 12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of
Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brothers, being
arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood
at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty
priests sounding with trumpets:) 13 It came even to pass, as the
trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in
praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice
with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the
LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endures for ever: that then
the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; ... The
fullness. The temple becomes the fullness. Filled with God's glory. So
the priests could not stand to minister, it was overwhelming. They
couldn't even do their priestly work. 14 So that the priests could not
stand to minister by reason of the cloud: ... Why? ... for the glory of
the LORD had filled the house of God. ....
Then to 2Chronicles 7:1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying,
the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the
sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2 And the
priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, ... Why? ...
because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's house. ... Do you
see this stressed, the fullness? When the temple was completed the next
thing that happened was that God came then and took possession of it
and filled it with His glory. Now, that is only a type. It is not the
reality. Solomon's temple is gone. Finished. Here is something that is
never going to go like that. When God has put the last stone into this
temple what is He going to do? He is going to fill it with His glory.
And then can't you see that it becomes the fullness of Him that filleth
all in all. Let the wonder of it sink in to your heart. Just reflect
very quietly, and ask the Holy Spirit to let you see something of the
greatness, the goal, the wonder of this plan that God has got for you.
If you belong to this company, by His grace. This is going to be built
for a home for God. No longer will He need creation to dwell in. No
longer will He need and earthly tent or tabernacle to dwell in. This is
the reality.
And then, this is not the end. What is the next thing that Paul is
going to say is this, Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, ... Oh what
a bad chapter break that man has done. You see, if you just started
reading at Ephesians chapter 3, for this cause, which is going back to
all the wonder of chapter 2, You will never get the context. Because of
all this wonderful purpose of building up this glorious home, which
will be God's fullness, what is the next thing that happens. Paul calls
himself, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, ... And then
Paul has to divert to explain why he was the prisoner, then Paul picks
it up again in verse 14. For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, ... Paul starts to pray. That is lesson number
one. Any wonder of this that has gripped their hearts and minds what is
the effect upon you. Well, it ought to send us to our knees friends.
That is what it ought to do. Instead of going out gayly chattering
about all sorts of things and conditions we ought to be, Oh the wonder
of this, I should stop and think. I must pray. I must bow my knees to
the Father in thankfulness. To think such a thing is possible.
And in the second prayer, what is Paul going to say? Paul is coming on
to the question of dwelling, again. But look, this time, ... that
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ... Now can you link these two
together? Yes, there is a lot of verses in between, but you must link
them together. Paul does it. Paul only diverts to tell you what he was
as the prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles. Realizing then that
God is building up this permanent home, this tabernacle, this temple,
that is going to last forever. And Paul says, You, don't wait for that
day. YOU be a miniature temple. You have the blessedness of Christ, now
taking up His dwelling place in your heart by faith. Oh the wonder of
it.
Do we realize that? Don't you think some how we Christians are rather
cheating this. We have done something, that is unintentional, that we
don't mean to do wrong. But even some of the choruses that we teach our
children are not always true. And some of the expressions that we use,
we mean well, but are not always scriptural. You see, the sinner is
asked to open his heart to the Lord. And he is asked to say, come in
Lord Jesus. But not what the Apostle Paul is teaching. This is for the
mature saint. When you've got, as far as chapter 3, an experience as
these Ephesian saints have grown up to this point, then you can pray
for Christ to come in to your heart to dwell by faith. Because this is
an overwhelming thing. If the Lord is coming in, what does it mean? He
is going to take complete control. Oh, most certainly. Don't say, come
in to my heart Lord Jesus, for a little children to sing. Because this
is the most serious thing. Your saying, Lord come in and be a permanent
dwelling here. And that is to say they He must take complete control of
who you are. But if you are not prepared to give Him that place. Don't
ask Him to come in, because it is a mockery. And He won't come in.
Unless it has been fully prepared for Him. There has to be the
cleansing of the precious blood. There has to be a conscience ness of
entertaining such a wondrous guest.
Paul is praying. Praying that Christ may dwell in your hearts. That you
be mighty enough for this. Their is a preparation when we get to this
prayer. Paul does not start off with that. The strengthening of the
Spirit first. And the empowering of this church and each believer. So
that Christ may take up His dwelling in your heart by faith. This is
something for the mature Christian to go on to realize. Not something
that is simple. What we call simple gospel truth. It isn't. It is
extremely deep. Experimental truth for the believer who is growing up.
Only he can know what it means to have the Lord Jesus Christ have
complete control of his life. Don't deal with this thing lightly. Give
it the wonder that it ought to have.
How easy it is to stand up in a gospel meeting and sing, take my life
and let it be consecrated Lord to thee. And you go through all the
verses, take my silver and my gold, not of might would I hold ,take my
friends, take my body .... Oh yes, but do we really mean it? It has a
nice tune to it and it is lovely to sing. But if we are not singing
truth, what a terrible thing. This is what Ephesians chapter 2 and 3
are talking about. No wonder this says, that we be mighty enough to
comprehend, Ephesians 3:18 (ASV) may be strong to apprehend with all
the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and
to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be
filled unto all the fulness of God. ... You have that filling in that
second prayer. Your filled right up to the brim with the fulness of
God, and chapter 3 ends. And chapter one ends the fullness of Him that
filleth all in all. And here is the actual thing in prospect, that when
that temple is completed and the last member is put into their place,
it will be taken to glory where God intends, it shall be blessed. Where
now, they are seated together in heavenly places, as chapter 2 says, in
Christ. Where He is now enthroned. Filled up with His glory. He will
take possession. He will live there. Until that day, until traveling
days are done, you be, as Ephesians 3 says, a miniature temple. You ask
Him now to come in and take complete control. And dwell in your hearts
by faith.