Vocational Fellowship - Part 4 — T. Austin-Sparks

Instead of reading one passage of scripture, we're going to bring together a number of short passages, which will test your dexterity with the word, it's scattered all over the place, but we, first of all, take the passage which has been like a banner over this season, under which we have been gathering everything else, that is, in the prophecies of Jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 12.

A glorious set on high from the beginning is the place of ours. Glorious on high from the beginning is the place of ours. A long way on to the letter to the Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 8, but of the Son, he says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The Son’s Throne and Universal Inheritance

The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast love, righteousness, and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness about thy filth. Glorious throne set on high, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

Way back to the psalm, to the second psalm, it's got me, and I will give thee the nation for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. You notice the context that another flight into the New Testament, to the book of the Acts, chapter 1, verse 8.

Ye shall be, ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you. Ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Ask of me the nations for thine inheritance, the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession.

Ye shall be witnesses, my witnesses, unto the uttermost part of the earth. The letter to the Ephesians, and what conference would be complete without Ephesians? Chapter 1, part of verse 4, he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Verse 9, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he published in him, and to a dispensation of the fullness of the times, all things in Christ.

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. He made known unto us the secret of his will, to sum up all things to our prophet Jeremiah, the words in chapter 1, and verse 4. Now the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee, I knew thee.

Before thou camest forth, I sanctified thee. I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations. Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance. I have appointed thee a prophet to the nations, and shall be my witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth.

So on. Notice a very obvious thing in the Bible. Most of the great things were connected with mountains. To have that said, and your memory will take a flight, the Bible, and light upon many a mountain in which some thing, which was indeed a point heaven and earth met, of a mountain, a mountain, a perspective, a command, all and particular things into can be seen as not just something in itself, of a whole, proportion, of the values of a mountain.

The Spiritual Perspective of the Mountain

Parenthesis, don't you think that that is just what the value of such gatherings as these we call conference times should be? The need, proportion, maintain, preserve, set up against things too closely.

The details press upon us. Immediate situations take possession of us. Immediately before our eyes and in our experiences, tend to become everything and exclude so much more. And they get on top of us just because we are, the perspective is upset.

And there's a good deal of which we have read, mountain peaks. They constitute mountains. From all this obsession of the oppressive, immediate, too close with just what we ourselves are going through.

Leave our spiritual insulation and isolation to some vantage ground of the heavens. God took its great place in our New Testament at a time when the near view could have brought complete despair. In Christianity, amongst believers, in the churches, would have produced, that would have him deep down in the valley of despair.

He climbed to the heights. And you and I, dear friends, and the church, ever since to the end of the age, avast to that man's climb up the mountain in spirit from his prisons, who repeatedly used that very word, that mountain word, the heavenless.

We need to get up there again. May the Lord give us mountain energy today, rise up as on wings, to see anew what we are called unto and what we are called into. That is the redeeming that we are called into.

What we are in, if we are, it is all about. What is all the conflict about? What is all the pressure about? What is all the discipline about? What is all the suffering? What does it all mean? What is it all about?

Why this and that? The Lord will answer that cry. It will have been worth our coming here. We climb the mountain. We are all familiar with a line of a very well known, and I think greatly loved hymn, O Love, that will not let me go.

That after his death, when the poem was found, the thought was to publish it. Those who found it and were about to publish it came upon one line in it that perplexed them. Mysterious, the rainbow, but George Matheson had climbed through the rainbow.

Well, that's all right. That's an artistic contemplation, poetic way of speaking. But when George Matheson wrote that poem, he was in the grip of a tremendous spiritual conflict. Everything in life was rocking, a perfect deluge upon his soul.

He did not sit back in poetic contemplation and say, I traced the rainbow through the rain. He guarded himself. I've got to take hold of things and discover what lies there behind. And get hold of that.

Does it all mean? What is it all about? What is the explanation? And there is one. And it does lie right at the heart of what I have just said. What we are called into and unto. That explains it all. These difficulties, trials, adversities, sufferings and conflicts are very real.

Very real. For they are sometimes terrible. That is true. The explanation must be one that is at least commensurate with them. We have some comparable to what some of the Lord's people are going through while we are sitting here in, if not absolute comparative comfort.

What is an adequate answer? We are driven, again I say, the only answer that is sufficient is that of what we are called into. And called. We are going to the scriptures which we have read, which are only a selection from many more of the same kind.

All Things Centered and Integrated in the Son

These four things into view. All that which is comprehended, a repeated clause. All things. All things. Can't get outside of that. That comprehends. All created by God for His. We now. The beginning of everything.

For Him. Through Him. Unto Him. God, distinctly told, was appointed heir of all things. All things. These scriptures are integrated in Him. Consisted together as one whole. By His person. But by His person.

A wonderful, beautiful, harmonious unity in the creation. All centered in God's Son. Held, He was there. Everything and in accord. While He was in His place, there was a beautiful oneness running through everything.

Our creation. He was the keynote. Everything came back to Him and moved from Him. And the explanation of the music was, all things were integrated and consistent. All things were disrupted by putting Him out of His place or refusing to recognize Him in that place.

Of course, the great story of heaven's disruption. That to which an apostle refers when he says, the angels which kept not their first disciples. A lot there is in that. I'll reserve my strength upon any one of these things.

But there was discord in heaven to begin with. And it had to be cast out. And there came into this world that thing of the creation of the Son of God. And by that we know everything here was disrupted and became disconnected.

Evil as the Power That Divides and Disintegrates

It is a beautiful picture. But that changed. We see all things now working like an evil leaven. Which is all the time breaking up. Never ending in its breaking up work. Leaving nothing whole. Terrible story and history all through the ages of this evil thing working so that the last bit of unity is destroyed.

The last bit of harmony is not going to allow anything to remain. Integrated in Christ. And dear friends, does not that explain, perhaps a lot, that where Christ is the more given His place. The enemy is the more concerned to divide.

Nothing escapes this. And the most beautiful thing will be the object of the most disconnected. Fourthly, we have things all in chaos and confusion because He, the unifying, integrating center of all things is not in His place.

The answer, the explanation. Because He is not in His place. That may be a terrible indictment on some situations, but we have got to face it quite honestly and frankly. That is the first cycle. The second cycle, the scriptures before us present is, firstly, the air and center of all things undertakes the work of recovery.

He voluntarily, the earth of heavenly glory come down into it. It takes the great work of recovery. Now that word recovery is a favorite word with us, isn't it? The recovery of this and that. Which was God's mind.

The first one who engaged in that work and that ministry was God's son himself. And he has committed himself to that work of recovery. Having undertaken it, he comes down and enters into this kingdom of disruption.

He comes right into all this chaos and disorder and discord. Right into it himself. And by his very presence, we see him, by his very presence shows what a disrupted and discordant scene this is. There is only one person in the whole people in himself integrated, is harmonious.

Christ’s Witness Against Evil

One of the impressive things about the Lord Jesus, that he himself moved in this simply in his own, not an easy thing to do in this world as you know, but he did it. But on the other hand, annoyed, and that's a very, very weak word.

It perfectly is chaotic for us. So that there grew and grew and grew. Brief period of his helpless sojourn. An atmosphere of conflict. Of dissent breaks out, tearing the very creation. Tearing any kind of control and mastery.

The very elements. And it's all focused upon him. He has entered into it to witness against it in the first place. In his own person and presence. To witness against it. To be an offset. Speak the words.

The words which are in the strongest contrast. Person and presence. To witness against it. To be an offset. To speak the words. The words which are in the strongest contrast. What are his words? I will give you rest.

You shall find rest. Peace with you. My peace I give unto you. How such words with the condition here right in the midst of it. Testifying against it. Manifesting what it ought to be. The condition. Evil it is.

You never know how wrong or evil a thing is until you get the absolutely right and good right in the heart of it. He became example. The witness. The personal test against what is. That's what I'm saying.

Mine is. Because you can see what the next cycle will be. Let's go on. Having come in and the explanation of being here long enough. And it proved to be long enough. Though it was only three and a half years or so.

It proved to be long enough to show the contrast. And to bring out the contrast. And to testify against it. Having brought it all out and shown in word. In word. Happy. In word. Indeed. All his words.

Testifying against this. Amending it. Being here long enough. To be a witness in the midst of it. He then. And this is our third point in the second cycle. He then. It all on himself. Took it all on himself.

Took on himself the evil. And the consequences of the evil that had come in. Drew it on to himself. Yes. Verily drew it on to himself. Sought not to ward it off. Sought not to argue himself out of it.

Knew what it meant. Marvel of his. When such as he could have made a case for himself. He who again and again had sent wise men. Scribes and Pharisees. With all their trickery and subtlety. And all their attempted snare.

Dogs with their tails between their legs. Without a word. All right. Let him that is without sin. First cast the stone. And they went out one by one. From the least to the great. Master. To give tribute.

To Caesar. To pay tribute to Caesar. They've laid for him. Coin. Whose inscription is this? Render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. Now then. Your whole honesty, conscientiousness, integrity is at stake.

Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar. And unto God the things of their God. You notice the effect of that? They've defeated him. Have to confess that no man speak like this man. Man who can do that sort of thing with the rulers.

Put in the day of his ordeal and trial. Put them all out of court. But the marvel. He opened not his mouth. He opened not his mouth. Not a word. He opened not his mouth. He's not pulling it off. He's not keeping it at bay.

He's letting it come on. Even drawing it on. And so he became sin. Says the word. That he might destroy sin. Drawing it on to its own destruction. He became. This is my body broken. He became broken in order that he might unite.

Great testimony of the Lord's table. One loaf. One body. Through brokenness. He was broken that he might unite. He became defeated in order that he might. He became dead in order that he might destroy death.

He emptied himself and became empty in order that he might be filled. All things. All things. That's the second cycle. But now we come to the third. Having done it. Accomplished all that. In his cross.

Gathering the Scattered Sons Into Fellowship

And having received the great approbation of heaven. Of his father. Thou art my stay have I begotten thee. Referring to his resurrection. Scattered. And what a scattering has taken place. All ye shall be offended.

Because of me this night for it is written I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. All scattered. Then he begins to gather these fragments. These broken scattered fragments together.

And brings in his sons and fellow men. Need to read again that first chapter of the letter to the Hebrews. Of the son he sent. And then it goes on about his brethren. I and the children which God hath given me.

And later bringing many sons to Galilee. In the third cycle he the son brings in his sons as his fellow men. And in that letter the praise occurs and airs. These are a family matter. We call. The New Testament calls it the cycle.

This is what comes so clearly into view with the passages read. This family. This church. This body. Was eternally known by God. For no chosen by God in him the son before the foundation of the world.

That is very wonderful. Chosen in him. Whom he appointed heir of all things. He also chose and appointed the heirs with him of all things. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

And hath made known unto us the secret of his will. In so doing gather together all things. For known eternally chosen great all comprehending all inclusive purpose. Here is the point where you and I must be very clear and very positive.

Election, the Church, and God’s Eternal Purpose

This matter of election, predestination and so on does not relate to salvation. Only in so far as salvation is the way. This election if the letter to the Ephesians means anything and all that is in harmony with it.

This relates to the purpose of God concerning his son. We come to it through the cross. We come to it through being born from God. But that is not the object and that is not the end. That for which you and I are born from above in Christ and in time called into the fellowship of God's son.

That dear friends is this purpose of God concerning his son. To gather up into him all things. To and this is the real word in the original reunite. Reunite all things in Christ. The church you see where we have arrived.

The church is seen by God through the ages through all the destruction. Through all the costs, all the consequences, all the cross and its agony. It has been seen before it all and through it all as the vehicle, the vessel, the instrument of the son to bring back that original pristine harmony, unity.

Centred in, called for that. That is the heavenly vocation. Little people like you and me trust that to believe it. But we are a part of a great thing. It is all in us thank God. We haven't got to take the full burden and responsibility of this individually.

But we are related, that is elected of God, called of God for no lesser thing than this. And this, what a lot that explains if it is true. What a lot it explains. What an answer to all our suffering and our discipline.

If only we could see that we don't. It is not present with us in our hours of anguish as it was with the apostle who knowing perhaps more of sufferings and sorrows than any other man of his time in Christianity.

Because he climbed the mountain, because he was seeing from the heavenly as you could say, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, what if for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

While we look not at the things that are seen, these things right on top of us, these close up things, but from the mountain top while we look not at the things that are seen. But of the things that are not seen, for these things that are seen are transient, temporal, things that are not seen are eternal.

You need to get on a high mountain to view it like that, to get that balance in life. Well friends, I said that answers a lot of inquiries and questions. If that were true, if that is true, if that could come really to us.

And we knew it. Oh, to be delivered from our familiarity with the Bible and this teaching, I break upon impact. My brother, my sister, you are in relation to a vocation which he foredetermined, which you should have a part.

And it is no lesser thing than this, that in union with his son you should answer this. It is a great gospel, it is a great gospel. I wonder if the Apostle felt it necessary in the midst of saying these things to fall on his knees and pray, Father of Glory, we grant unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge.

The eyes of your heart be enlightened. We ought to pray continually. In the hour, the day of traveling, suffering, this church is the sovereign act of God, act of God. Forever it existed in time. We are brought into something that we never thought of or thought out or planned or intended or meant or understood.

We are brought into something that is God's own and God's own act. He did not choose me. And it is important, as a part of the whole, really understand the nature of this. Again, we need delivering from well-nigh two thousand years of distortion on this matter.

The word church, what a lot has been put on it. What a lot it carries. What a lot has to be stripped off of it to get to its real meaning. This is a spiritual thing. This is not a temporal thing. This is not a temporal thing, this church.

This is a spiritual thing. The very beginning has had been borne of the dwelt. And the measure of their churchmanship, may I use that, is only the measure of their spirituality. The measure of their spiritual life, effect in its outworking, in its value, this is a spiritual thing.

It does not belong to this earth at all. This belongs to heaven. Its roots are in heaven. Its life is in heaven. Its Lord is in heaven. Its everything is in heaven. All its, but when we have said all that, we have to come back to this.

The Church’s Heavenly Vocation and Worthy Walk

And re-emphasizing this, we close for the moment. This church is an essentially vocational thing. I do want you to get a hold of that these days. Essentially vocational. The vocation can never be fulfilled only when the apostle in this very connection says, I beseech you to walk worthily of the calling, the vocation with which you are called, in all lowliness and meekness.

Or there can be no vocation. Because with God and with heaven, vocation rests upon character. That we should be holy and without blemish before him. That's his mind. Spirit, because of the greatness of the vocation, dear friends, is very meticulous and particular over details of conduct.

You see, you cannot lift this great heavenly vocation out of the affairs of daily life here. You cannot put your church position and your church doctrine and your church mentality outside of your accounts, your money matters, your family life.

So we could go on. All that is a part of the whole. Walk worthily of the vocation. Because that basis affects your vocation. But seeing how the Holy Spirit is particular, very particular, and sooner or later will bring us all up sharp on this.

Look here, you've got a great idea of church teaching and truth about the church. You're not consistent with it. There's that which is inconsistent with it. Oh, what a challenge this is that you and I here this morning might almost shudder to face, tremble to look at.

Let me put my finger upon this one point at once. If what I have been saying as from the word of God is true, that in him, the Son, when all things were created and for whom all things were created, there was, and we know not for how long, beautiful harmony, complete integration and coordination.

All moving together, one whole. And then that was all shattered like a beautiful vase, broken to pieces and this terrible discord was shot through and through the creation, touching everything. We know well.

If it is true that God had already determined by his Son and with his Son, the church should be the vessel and instrument of recovering that, bringing into effect the reuniting of all things in Christ of oneness, of harmony, for all to live.

What are we doing about that? The vocation is that. The Lord help us not to play into the hands of and work together with this great adversary of the harmony of God. It's a vocational fellowship with God and with his Son.

The Lordship of Christ and the Church’s Mission

It's all related to the Son and his appointed place. It's all related to the throne. It's in that throne and by that throne into which he is exalted. That glorious throne on high from the beginning. It's in that and by that that this is made effective as we were hearing last night.

Absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ in everything, over everything is affected by the state of the church. It's related to the throne and being related to the Son is related to the nations. The uttermost part of the earth, the message of the gospel to the nations is not only the message of salvation and redeeming love and redeeming grace but over and above all that it's the message of the crown rights of God's Son.

He is Lord of all, of all. Not called to offer him as Lord but to declare that he is Lord. The Lordship has its seat and center in the church. Be here in ourselves, in our own hearts. I wonder if I've failed to really grasp dear friends.

However you may feel about it yourself. You may feel you're too young, too inexperienced or too something or other to be in such a thing. No, if God has called you in Christ, that calling contains all that I have said for you in relation to a hope, in relation to a hope.

Perhaps this afternoon we'll be able to get nearer to this thing in that way. But for the moment the object that the Lord is bringing before us this time is this. We are called with a great calling. And that word calling can be right today changed for vocation.

Vocation. We are called according to his purpose. You ask what is that purpose? To save? Oh infinitely more than to save. To have a body, a body of people saved and glorified at the center of his what the letter to the Hebrews calls the inhabited earth to come.

Through he will bless this perfect harmony. Maintain the government of this glorious integration. Be the coordinating center. Christ in the midst. This city there is the metropolis because of that. Everything in peace when he gets it.

We are called to serve him in that matter. Let us remind ourselves that this is not going to begin when we get there. The beginning of this is now. We in ourselves have got to be one person. Not two or three persons.

Do you know what I mean by that? There is one thing I do. I am completely one in my whole being set upon a single object. There is one thing in God's universe that unites my whole being. Unites my whole being.

Concentrated and focused and united. We have got to be harmonized in the interests of the Lord. Together it must be so. The Lord Jesus must go out to be his witnesses. And like it was with himself it will be with us.

Oh if only there is the right thing there. As the example, the witness if it is. Christian or any church or any body of Christians in this world. For the world to be able to go on without feeling. No compliment at all to have an easy time like that.

That is not a pleasant thing to say. We will probably have to face that in practical ways. But there it is. It was with him. We have this. Be a good share. I have overcome. We have his victory. The Lord is with us.