Gods Order in Christ - Part 6 — T. Austin-Sparks

The Cross as the Lifting Up of the Son of Man

In the Gospel by John, the Gospel by John, in chapter 3, at verse 14, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even son of man be lifted up, that whosoever may in him have eternal life. Chapter 8, verse 28, Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then ye shall know that I am he.

Chapter 12, I be lifted up from the earth. Think of the cross, associate with it the whole matter of sin. Because, say so much, his bearing of our sin in his body on the tree. But there are very many aspects of said to be many things.

Our sin in many forms. It covers a lot of ground. It relates of matters. There's quite a lot of different About every as to actor in all effect. Divisive effect. It is divergent. The unity of life. However, it works out that way.

Sin as Disintegration and Division

In the Bible, regarded as the chief illustration of sin in the Bible is leprosy. We know that the effect of leprosy is to disintegrate the body. To completely break down its unity. Try its integration.

That is what God thinks about sin. Having chosen that as the chief illustration of sin, he has put his finger upon deepest and that universal element. And that shows to us very possibly, very clearly, what a terrible thing in the sight of God.

Divisiveness. Disruption. Disunity. Disintegration. Contrary to the divine nature. It is to the divine nature of the leper in the Bible. How the leper had to be put outside altogether. Proximity to other people.

The leper had to cover his mouth in cloth. Go on his way crying in his hollow voice. God lay hold of him and sins effect. And to disintegrate the society to which he belonged. Break up fellowship. Break up religion.

No more terrible picture perhaps. Thought about divisiveness. The effect of sin. That is the setting you see of the cross. Here we have that. His being lifted up of his cross would be to bring together.

Will draw all men unto myself. The cross would destroy that factor in sin which scatters and divides. Counter it and reverse if I be. The cross would do that because it would deal the disease that disintegrates, divides.

I have made as a very, very great, a very strong statement. A very terrible statement. Because you know dear friends, we treat this matter far too lightly. Oh if we speak on and on about sin, of course you would all thoroughly agree with me and say, oh let us get, let us do everything to use the word sin.

But God calls division that. And are you quite sure that we are as afraid about this matter of division as we are about what we call sin? Are we taking that decision to do what we would call sin? We mentioned some things that are called sin.

The headlines of our papers and, and we won't read any further because there's something in us that revolts against what's there. That the world calls sin even. We feel that we are touched with uncleanness.

That we, we don't want that. It's brought out like that. That it fills our papers and that people want that sort of stuff. We hate it. We loathe it. But God says, the common, the common sin in all its forms is this.

It separates. It divides. It breaks up. It breaks down. It disintegrates. And it's the effect that God has. He hates so much. See why in a moment. Why it is like that. But there it is. Coming back to the cross of the Lord Jesus.

Atonement and the Reuniting Power of the Cross

There's one word that we always associate with the cross and his walk in the cross. And that word, we make his atoning work a fundamental of the Christian faith. Say that it is one of the main. Can't make too much of that.

But what do we mean? What do we mean? Well I suppose that he atoned. That would be quite true. My dear friends, a very small part of the meaning. The word itself, the word itself gives us the full meaning.

Atonement. At-one-ment. For sin, that our sin has been atoned for. We haven't got to atone for our sin. That's very blessed, very precious. We'll cling to that. Just so far. Just take us so far. And put us in a certain position that we call justification.

Righteousness by faith. Means more than that. That this common universal fact of separation. Its directions and aspects has been dealt with in that. And that the universal setting at one. Making at one.

The cross is therefore the great reuniting or uniting power. Not to recognize that and suddenly violate the whole meaning of Calvary in vain. That's a terrible thing isn't it? That's a terrible thing.

In God's sight that is what disunity means. What divisiveness of our Lord Jesus of none effect. It's his own word. His own word. If I be lifted up. If that is true. We haven't found our focus and our unity in Christ.

The cross has not done its work. Not done its work. We have said is therefore the great power of unification. All that has occupied us in these gatherings. And one great thing that has been the fruit of sin in this universe.

The Futility of Human Efforts Against Evil

Which has polluted, corrupted and defiled this whole universe. That disintegrating work of the evil power and powers from the beginning. Causing that this has become a universe of conflict and division and all that belongs.

Integrated and shattered creation with every attempt of man through the ages. Can never never be repaired. All men's greatest efforts. Institutions and organizations to counter that become perfectly laughable.

A united. What a misnomer. United Nations. The charter of which is for the protection of we today. Tibet. Making the United Nations charter a laughing stock. Not touching politics. Men's greatest. Yes.

Best meant. Institutions and organizations. They just become laughable in the end. In the face of this immense power in this universe of disintegration. Forces of evil laugh at every nature and their work.

That came in at the beginning and it has grown and become universal. And today more than ever. In spite of every effort. Men are finding that it's a hopeless thing to try to repair this damage. Country goes down before this force.

There is only one thing that can meet it and solve it. And does so it gets a chance. And that is the cross of the Lord Jesus. With that sin was between heaven. Became not only closed to one another. Not in conflict with one another.

No way through for men. No correspondence. No fellowship. No communication. Until the cross comes in. And with the Lord Jesus lifted up. Made again. To a man. Whose name was Nathaniel. An Israelite indeed.

Jacob, Nathaniel, and the Opening of Heaven

More actually. Behold an Israelite in whom there's no Jacob. You remember? You remember Jacob? And then he went on to Nathaniel. Thou shalt the heavens open. And the angels of God are ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Exactly the same title he sees. He uses of himself the Son of Man be lifted up. Jacob has been dealt with. The man who broke up the family. The man whose presence wherever it was was a disintegrating factor.

Couldn't get on with anybody. Nobody could get on with him. He was that in the world while he was Jacob. Always a disturber. Dissatisfied. Selfish. Jacob is dealt with. God appears. The vision or the dream that he had is now possible of realization.

Heaven can come down to him. And bless him. And take him on his way. And fulfill all the promise and covenant. He's come at length. To know the meaning. Communication between heaven and earth. Letter set up.

Now Jesus took that right over to himself and said to Nathaniel. Day is coming Nathaniel. When you will come into all that you will see the heavens opened. And you will see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Only a figurative way of speaking and saying. Day is coming Nathaniel. When this closed way between heaven and earth will be opened again. When this great scissor and conflict between heaven and earth.

Will have been healed. And they will be united by the Son of Man. I if I be lifted up. For all men unto me. The heaven is open for all men again. The division has gone. The sin has been dealt with. Marvelous.

That terrible effect. Of sin in separating heaven and earth and closing each to the other. Is remedied in the cross of the Lord Jesus. I need not remind you. That in the Bible. Then and again we come upon a closed heaven.

The Closed Heaven and Judgment for Sin

At one of those many occasions. Life of Elijah. Because Elijah said to Ahab there shall not be rain. On the earth. But according to my word. Read the story and it's a very terrible story. Of that closed heaven.

That withheld blessing. That no communication. Terrible story. See a closed heaven. The Old Testament or spiritual. Is always the mark of judgment for sin. The division between heaven and earth. Cross of the Lord Jesus.

Sees that judgment. Taken on himself. And heaven and earth united again. And while that is. A very wonderful statement of truth. You and I here tonight. I take it more than 90 percent of this company.

Knows in experience how true that is. What is our very first consciousness. When we receive the Lord Jesus. Into our lives. Into our hearts. Heaven is not so far away as we thought it was. Heaven is not.

Knew it was. Put it as you like. Heaven's open. Heaven's open. The experience of every truly newly born again child of God. Heaven has come down. Their soul to greet. Has been dealt with. And the at-one-ment between heaven.

The Cross Reconciles Humanity

And earth. It's been made. Between man and man. How with the coming in of sin. Man. Was set against man. Started. Prayed and spread. Scissored. Spread until it became universal. Food of this. If I be lifted up.

I will draw all unto myself. Heal that between man and man. Bring man and man. Together again. We have already. Last night. Referred to it. But it will bear. Another reference. You remember the words of the Lord to Job.

Job and the Harmony Before Sin

Job had. Exhausted all that he could say. Trying to. Justify himself. Put himself right with God and men. The whole thing had collapsed. Broken down. Wasn't getting very far with that. With himself and the other men.

There was no. Healing. No fellowship. Every effort to get right. To get a ground of oneness failed. They've all been trying it. All these men. For all these. Perhaps weeks or months. They've been trying to find a common ground on which they'd all agree.

And it's all failed. When they've all come to the last word that they can say. The Lord steps. The Lord says to Job. Who is this? The darkness counseled with words. Where were you? When I laid the foundation of the world.

The morning stars. Together. And all the sons of God shouted for joy. What a picture. What a description. Before all this came in. All this Job. And you've been trying. To get over. It was a state of beautiful harmony.

The morning stars were singing. Singing in glee. Singing whether in unison or harmony. They were singing. There was no discordant note. No discordant note then. It was a unity of song. It's how it was before.

Redemption’s Multitude in Revelation

From there we leaped to Revelation chapter 7. After this I beheld. And lo a great multitude. Which no man can number. And trust this old memory. Now. Here it is. Which no man could number out of every nation.

And of all tribes and peoples and tongues. Standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Arrayed in white robes. And they cry with a great voice. Saying. Salvation unto our God. Which sitteth on the throne.

And unto. At the end. As at the beginning. A great unison or harmony. It doesn't matter. There is no discordant note. That's gone. That strange note. That came in and spoiled the harmony of the creation.

And of men's relationships. That has been eliminated. And things are now than they were. Without sin. And therefore without any division or discord. A song of redemption. With no strange note in it. All singing together.

All singing together. Why? Of course the focal point is the Lamb. And I if I be lifted up. Will draw all men. Out of every nation and tribe and tongue. But what was the discordant note? If we can just put our finger upon that.

Lucifer’s “I Will” and the Origin of Discord

We've got the heart of the whole matter. We can just. See what that. That foreign. That strange note. Was that came in. Was the divine octave. Was being played suddenly. Suddenly another sound came in.

That did not belong to it at all. And threw it all out. And spoiled the whole thing. What was it? We can put our finger upon that note. It's described for us. I'll give it to you. It's in the prophecies of Isaiah.

Chapter 14. Thou fallen from heaven. O Lucifer. Day star. Sun of the morning. Of the morning. How art thou cut down to the ground. Lay low thou saidst in thine heart. I will ascend into heaven. Exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will sit upon the mount. Of congregation. In the uttermost part. Of the earth. I will ascend above the heights. Of the clouds. I will be. Like the most. What's the discordant note? Spirit. Art of it all.

The will of God. Division. Sysm. Somewhere. Somehow. If only we could probe to the heart of the root. Like that. We'd find something like that. I. To that it's traced. The whole bible. Shows that. But dear friends.

This is the wonderful thing. That over against that. I will. I will. Thou saidst. Have the cross. Have the wonderful. Description. Of the one. Who went to the cross. Being equal with God. He. Thought it not something to be grasped.

Christ’s Self-Emptying and Obedience to the Cross

To be on equality with God. But emptied himself. And ultimately. Became obedient unto death. Yea. The death of the cross. And as he came to it. In the dark night. Before. In the garden. Not my will. Not my will.

Thou saidest. I will. He said. Not. The cross of the Lord Jesus. Was just. Shall we say. Not only the elimination. The annihilation. Bringing all the discord. In every relationship. I. That was slain in the cross.

In the person of the Lord Jesus. Get that out. Oh if we could get it out of ourselves. And out of everybody. Why the song would start right away. We know. We go about this world. We go into the children of God.

Of any and every nation. Or. Town. Or people. Children of God. We all sing the same song. We've got something that finds us in tune with one another. Mark you. While we keep on the ground of the cross.

Get on some other ground. We find that that's spoiled. But while we keep on the ground of Christ. Together. Have a wonderful fellowship. It's proved it's proved. Not only have we risen between heaven and earth.

The Practical Work of the Cross in Christian Unity

Has been bridged or closed. When we come to the Lord Jesus. We know that we have the open heaven. But as we move about the world. We know that the effect of the cross is to have created a marvelous oneness.

Between men out of every nation. Try it. Without the cross. You see what you can do with it. Governments have tried it with armies. Today we are smarting and trying to overcome some animosity by force.

Legislate this thing out of God's universe. And you cannot drive it out by force. You only deepen the hatred. Make it of still longer duration. Those wounds last a long time. They've tried that all through the centuries.

It doesn't work. But take the cross of the Lord Jesus. It works. Fundamentally. Basically. There's something that all believers have in common. Which makes them one. Keeping on that ground. It's true isn't it.

Well this is elementary I know. But this is what he meant. If I be lifted up. I will draw. I will draw. I will not divide. I will draw all myself. There is after all a magnetism in the cross of the Lord Jesus.

Isn't there. I have been saying of course. Cherished with it. A big challenge to the self-life doesn't it. Which lies behind our divisions. And oh do take. Take this to heart dear friends. You and I.

Will you. Will you tonight covenant with the Lord in this place. You and I have got to set us this back. We have got to set ourselves. That by the grace and help of God. We will lead. Give to the cross.

Christ crucified his rights in this. In overcoming divisions. Where we find them. Between ourselves and others. It's got to be the death. For it is a desperate battle. But the cross can win in this. If only it does its work in us.

The Cross and the Death of Self

If only that I thing in us. So deceptive. So deceptive. Of course it's the other person always that's wrong. We are always right. And that's just where the I has its greatest strength. We would get down and say.

Very likely I am after all. The responsible one. At least open. The way. For such conviction. If all that I have said tonight is true. God's. God's attitude. And God's interpretation of sin. If this is true.

It's a very terrible thing isn't it. But it's a very great thing that the cross means. And if we are going to be. Really companions of the cross of our Lord Jesus. We've got to give ourselves to this.

By his help. We will not. Any kind of division. The division between. What is of God. And what is of the devil. I will draw. Cross. Has an appeal hasn't it. Because you see. The cross is the great revelation.

The Cross as Divine Mercy and Grace

Of divine mercy. And all men. Need that. Know their need of it. To present the cross right to them. It will make it's appeal. All men. Need and know that they need the mercy of God. Let us present Christ crucified as the great revelation of divine mercy.

Divine grace. And it will draw. It will draw. It is the great revelation that God is not against men but toward men. For men. That God is not. Against men. Is not this a universal need. Of which most men are conscious.

Oh to to really know and to be able to believe. That God is for us. God's on our side. God is not against us. The devil's first first insinuation in the garden. Was that God was not really for them. Really not for him.

In forbidding him to do this. He was really against. It's an awful insinuation. And you notice the effect. Many of this world's strongest religions is to put men in fear and dread of God. They're always trying in some way by some.

Even with God. To overcome that. Something about God that's against them. Appeasement. Appeasement. Whole awful realm. God to be appeased. We've got a better gospel than that. This is not a God. Our God has not got to be appeased.

He's for men. He's toward men. He has demonstrated it in the cross. His arms are stretched out wide. Toward men. His great word. That God has taken responsibility for us. For us in. And for everything.

God’s Responsibility and the Eternal Provision of the Cross

He had to do that. So be deep. Wonder about the cross. You know. God decided to make man. He took tremendous. Because to have man according to his own will and mind. He had to give him a free will. Man should never be forced or coerced or made to go one way like a machine.

Man could choose. All. All the greatest things for God lie in the direction of man. Choosing. Willing. Desiring. Preferring. So God took the risk of giving him a free will. Knowing exactly how it might work out.

Shall we say how it would work out. But seeing all the terrible consequences of the responsibility that he himself took. In so creating man. The lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. The cross is not an afterthought.

It's an eternal provision. In the mind of God. Something right back there. Before man sinned. That when man misused his great trust. It would lead to all this. The remedy was on hand from eternity. Cross is the great proof that God has taken responsibility.

Not only for creating man. But for all the results of his so creating man. Of course that's theology. But it's good gospel. Good gospel. Aren't you glad that the Lord himself has taken responsibility for you?

For your sin and for your makeup. Only you come to the cross of the Lord Jesus. That's where you meet God taking over responsibility for you. I think that's grand. The provision that we may have the answer of a good conscience.

A Good Conscience Through Christ

Isn't that tremendous? A good conscience toward God. The Bible says a good conscience. The answer of a good conscience toward God. What a lot men do to get that. See the whole Roman Catholic system is built upon that.

The priest will be your conscience. You need not worry. He'll be your conscience. Just divest yourself of any concern at all. You need not have it. The priest will be responsible for you. But it doesn't.

Just doesn't do it does it? Just doesn't do it. But it's something false. Tremendous tremendous success of that system. Over the years. Is because men everywhere want a good conscience. And want someone to take responsibility for their consciences.

And clear them of a guilty conscience. That's all a travesty. The truth is that at Calvary in Christ. God took responsibility for everything for us. And it's there that we find the ground of a good conscience toward God.

Tremendous thing. The apostle speaks of no more consciousness. Using that word consciousness in this sense. No more evil conscience. Wonderful. The cross is just that. And so we could go on. But dear friends.

Fellowship with God and the Spread of Unity

All this is gathered into the one unity with God. Fellowship with God. And the fellowship established between God and us. And between us and God. Is to spread and spread as the opposite spread at the beginning.

The disintegration started with one and spread and grow and grow and grow. The cross reverses it. And puts it right in the individual. And then expects that the cross will mean that it expands to all relationships.

If I be lifted up. I will draw all men. Oh how imperfectly I've tried to present this. I do trust that through so many words. So many words. You catch a glimpse. The great meaning of the cross. And what it involves us in this matter.

Giving diligence of the spirit. Holy Ghost.