Revelation of Jesus Christ - Part 10 of 10 — T. Austin-Sparks

Now as we come to the time together, the Lord has given us an interview, the great aim of which has been called of our salvation in the purpose of God, wonderful, and in His throne, in the government of this universe.

I'm sure that we come of the tremendous demand to have been with you. Is it possible to ever reach that? It's so great to attain, aren't we? We should come short. We should not be able to go through to an abstract kind of feeling, certain things that we feel that we know something of what those things are.

The Face of Jesus Christ as the Purpose and Provision of God

Now today, we have been with Paul since 4 -6. It is God that said, light shall shine out of darkness, who shined to give the light up to see what it was that Paul saw in the face of Jesus Christ, Christ the purpose.

And then secondly, for a little while, Paul saw in the face of Jesus Christ as the provision. The one thing that I'm quite sure happened to Saul of Tarsus on that day, he saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus.

He was knocked out of all his of himself, and he tells us what he thought of himself. He tells us in his letter to the Philippians, he thought of himself, of his former ethic concerning the righteousness which is of the law blameless.

He was knocked out of that from the Damascus. He had a very sense of his own righteousness, and the righteousness which was of the law. And from that moment when he saw the face of Jesus, no man on this earth more uncertain about his righteousness.

And from that time onward, this whole question of righteousness took a new, new turn for him. What a lot he writes about it. Have you ever tried to gather up all the Paul matter of the righteousness, the big question with him, one big matter.

It seemed in a sense to overshadow everything else. If ever he as Saul of Tarsus, and as a traditional Jew, had thought that he had a standing with God that was quite acceptable, and quite good, and quite unquestioned, all that went on the Damascus road.

Right at the end, right at the end of his life, when he's writing his last letters before going to be with the Lord, he says, my aim, my one aim is that I may be found in him not having a righteousness that is of mine own, but the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Tremendous thing, this matter of standing with God, being able, what an undoing of the past, emptying out on which he had rest. Over again, one big quest, one big quest, with a holy God. The answer he found in the face of Jesus.

Looking into the face of Jesus, he saw that all the righteousness that he needed, all the righteousness that ever God needed for him and in him, Jesus was to Paul the righteousness of God. Now, dear friends, I know that is very elementary Christian teaching, but you know what I have been repeatedly emphasizing during these days?

That it is not sufficient for us to have our Christian doctrines to the end. The theories of Christianity, the doctrines and the teachings and the interpretations and all the systems of Christian truth are not going to get us through, not going to get us through.

It is only day of the tempest that we will get through and this is such a matter, it is always arising, this evil one in this universe called the accuser of the brethren, always on our track, undercut this whole matter, our position with the holy God, biggest battle grounds in our Christian experience.

Justification by Faith and the Sufficiency of Christ’s Righteousness

Let me put it like this, suggesting things to you that you never thought of, but whether you have put it in this way or not, and I am only putting into language perhaps what has troubled your hearts without defining the trouble.

Let me put it like this, we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. If we are no longer by God in ourselves, if we have received by faith in him remission of our sins, we are dealt with by the Lord as though we were.

Why do we suffer for our wrongdoing, our mistakes, our faults, our errors, our breakdowns? Why do we suffer if he suffered for it all? Why does it seem that we have to atone that we do wrong if he atoned?

I am suggesting to you something you never thought of, but isn't it just like that, that when we are in suffering, in adversity, in affliction, there sometimes comes a cloud between us and the Lord and immediately there is an accusation, this is judgment on you, it's punishment, this is because, because of this or that.

Have you never met that? It's like that always. There's always presence of accusation in the presence of adversity and suffering and difficulty laying at our door because of wrong in this. Isn't that a problem?

We have got to get very clear on this matter of our standing and of the provision of righteousness in Christ to undercut the work and the power of Satan and for our own salvation in the day of adversity.

If trouble is coming, if suffering is coming, if we are going to have difficulties and adversities, there's going to be plenty of room for accusation and condemnation, plenty of ground for the enemy to work on.

But we have got to be absolutely clear on this matter of the provision of righteousness in Christ in order to get through. There are two things to say about this. Understand the meaning of righteousness and what is unrighteousness.

It's an important thing for us to understand that. And the other thing is we have got to be able, between the matter of training and transformation and the judgment of God. There's a great difference.

Those are two different realms altogether. Let's look for a moment at this matter of righteousness. What is righteousness? What is unrighteousness? ...of the word and is very misleading. In 1 John 3, in the oath of the law.

Of course, the transgression of the law is sin, but it doesn't say that and it doesn't mean that. Look at a better translation. The Revised will help you. The more correct, accurate translation is sin is lawlessness.

Lawlessness. That is unrighteousness. We can take an illustration. John takes this illustration there in that very chapter. He brings in, he introduces Cain and Abel. And he says of that lawless one. Genesis 4, you find this.

Now, now, in the process of Cain wrote his offering. And then you have the story of what happened. ...presented it to the Lord. And got no acceptance whatever. No standing with God. Absolutely ignored the whole thing.

And then that tremendous controversy between Cain and the Lord. But Abel brought his offering. Presented it. Recognized his acceptance. But Abel got through. John says, he was of that lawless one, Cain.

...in the process of time. And the context will show you that there had been plenty of time for a light to be given. And the light was that standing before God, acceptance with God was on the basis of another life given to God.

Symbolized in the blood. That was the light. The light had come. But here is a man who is a lawless one of the evil one. You see. The evil one is called by Paul, that lawless one. That lawless one would not be obedient to the light.

Refused to come under the law of any kind, especially the law of the blood. That's unrighteousness. And the very essence and core of unrighteousness is not that you are an imperfect or sinful man or woman.

It's a matter of your will in the presence of light. Now that's what Paul teaches. It's the reaction of our will when light has been given. Unrighteousness is lawlessness. Refusing light. Don't you see?

That with all their pretended, assumed, claimed, proclaimed righteousness. Creation of Israel was set aside and rejected. Why? Lawless. They refused the light. This is the condemnation. That light is come.

Men love darkness rather than light. Because they are of that lawless one. That's unrighteousness. In the face of Jesus Christ. What have you got? Just perfect and utter opposite to the lawless one. It's the Lamb.

You see. It's the Lamb. Submissive. And yielding. And meek. And lowly. Unmeanable. Not my will. One who is under the will. No lawlessness. No rebellion. No independence. No superiority. Nothing whatever.

That came across his submission to the will of God. He became obedient unto death. Yea, the death of the cross. There is your great able. Now note. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, as you well know.

Offered a more excellent sacrifice than came. Whereby witness was borne unto him that he was righteous. Whole matter of righteousness forstanding, dear friends. Is not what we are as big or little sinners.

For remember by nature. Able was no better man than Cain. No better man than Cain. He was of the sinful fallen race. Just as his brother. It is not that we in ourselves are good. Someone else we would call Cain.

No. We are all on the same ground. You know it as well as I do. That there is just as much lawlessness in us by nature. As in anybody by nature. But. Light is given. Act toward the light with our will.

Submissive. No lawlessness. That brings us into a state. Because that is. That is Christ. Whole matter of righteousness. In the case of Christ. In his acceptance with God as our representative. That he was not made sinful.

For he was. It was. Completely yielded himself to the known will of God. By faith in God. Whatever that meant. Whatever that meant. See that is the meaning of his baptism. His baptism. Figure of the cross.

Humbling himself. And being obedient unto death. What does he say about it? Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Obedient unto death. This is my beloved son. Justified. Accepted. Standing with the Father.

Our attitude of will. You are stubborn. You just will not. At the running. And no matter what. We may be. As faulty. Sinful. Creatures. In this matter of standing Mark. I'm talking about standing now.

We stand on the ground of a righteousness that is not our own at all. It's that righteousness perfected in Christ. Which God accepted. It is made unto us from God. Passing on. I doubt whether there will be a more fierce battleground for the Lord's people at the end than this one.

Assurance in the Spiritual Battle Over Acceptance with God

It's an amazing thing. Recently. Life of such men. Two men. Dr. A .J. Gordon. One of the most saintly men. Certainly one of the men most greatly used in his time. One of a few men who walked with God in those days.

And then the other. A .T. Pearson. Another one. Same kind. Men who walked with God. And a third one. A .B. Simpson. Here you have three spiritual giants. Three at any rate. At the end of their course here on this earth.

Had the most terrible battle of all their lives. On the question of their acceptance by God. Their standing with God. They passed into a time of such awful darkness. As though all the forces of evil gathered around them.

Quenched the light. This question of their acceptance. Thank God that in both cases before they went. They got through. The light returned. But it's significant. It's significant. This is THE battleground.

And dear friends, whether it comes like that to us. Or in any other form. In any other way. You and I need to be absolutely assured of this matter. It is not on the ground of what we are. What Christ is.

It is so easy for us to sing. Not what I am O Lord but what thou art. But when it comes to the test we forget all about that. And we go down under what we are. We know what we are. Now let me finish this bit for the moment.

By saying. That in the end. In the end. We are just going to be forced back upon Christ. Without any alternative. Church will be forced back on Christ. You and I will be forced back on Christ. We'll have no other ground on which to stand.

And if then we are not sure about Him. And what He is for us to God. It's going to be a sorry lookout for us. But Paul looked into the face of Jesus Christ. Mighty righteousness had come. Fallen out of that whole.

He looked into the face of Jesus. And saw. A righteousness that would carry him right through. All the righteousness that he needed. One that would never collapse. God's provision. In the matter of righteousness.

Christ’s Righteousness, Discipline, and Transformation

But then there is another phase. And I know what you are all thinking about this. Yes. But what about this other phase. Of what we are after all. And our failures. And how that we ought not to be. And are not that we ought to be.

Are we to ignore that? Not a bit. Not a bit. You see that was one of the charges. That the Lord brought against two churches. In Asia. Now has there. Those that have the doctrine of the Nicoletans. And that doctrine was.

Well you are saved. You are saved. Do as you like. Live as you like. Doesn't matter what you do. You will be saved alright. Once in grace. Always in grace. Doesn't matter what kind of sin. Do anything.

You are saved alright. Nothing can alter that. None will pluck you out of the Father's hand. And he said. Which thing I hate. Which thing I hate. Not reckoning. With evil in your life. Oh yes. It doesn't mean that.

But there's all the difference dear friends. Between. Judgment. Condemnation. Without his righteousness. In part the right of course. Chastening. That is. Charity. There you have it. But we all. Reflecting.

As a mirror. The glory of the Lord. Are transformed. Into the same image. From glory to glory. As from the Lord. When the Lord. Disciplines us. And he does. That does not mean. That he's put us under judgment.

Under condemnation. It means that. He is just going to make. Good in us. By this discipline. What is true about us. In Christ. All his disciplines. Are transformatory. You may not think so. Sometimes you think.

They're making you worse. Does seem like that. But wait a bit. Wait a bit. Something gracious coming out of it. Something beautiful. You meet more of Christ. Than those. Who have the hardest time. Saints I mean.

Real saints are the people. Who seem to have had the hardest handling. By the Lord. Like that. He is developing. The character of Christ. What seems to be. Hard dealing. Hard dealing. He's very faithful.

Very faithful. He knows. What we perhaps will not believe. And his dealings with us. Are really going to be. In the direction of transformation. This is. What happens with true believers. It doesn't happen with unbelievers.

They are dealt with hardly. They go from bad to worse. Paul says here. When we are dealt with hardly. We go from glory to glory. Though it may not seem like it. Or appear like it. It is true. It is true.

We cannot speak very much about. Ourselves. And our goodness. And the grace of God in us. But we do know just a little. Something has happened to us. Through our sufferings and our afflictions. To change us a bit.

From what we were. At any rate we say this. Where would we be today. Where would we be today. If the Lord hadn't dealt with us. Very faithful. But you see. You must keep this line. Between the two things.

That of judgment and condemnation. And that of child training. Discipline. And transforming. Now then. What is the provision? What is the provision? For the standing. He has made the provision. In the face of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit’s Work of Conforming Believers to Christ

Of righteousness. Notice the last clause of the verse just quoted. As by the Lord for that. The Spirit has got this matter in hand. The Holy Spirit. Is the custodian. Of glory. The Holy Spirit. Is the divine provision.

To change us. He's at work upon it. It's in his hand. We wonder however we are going. To be reconstituted. According to Christ. Not only justified in Christ. But reconstituted. And conformed to his image.

Leave it with the Holy Spirit. He's taken it in hand. And he's going to do it. And he will do it. Don't get back onto the ground of rebellion. Hold your ground of faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit will do it alright.

Paul’s Sufferings and the Sufficiency of Divine Grace

Make no mistake about it. As by the Lord the Spirit. I want to hurry to a close. A close for Paul. As I wrote before. The question of endurance. Began to be raised. You see. The official envoy. The Jewish rulers.

And their commissioned agent. Persecute. Blot out everything. To do with Jesus. Of Nazareth. And his business. Very thoroughly. And he represented the attitude. And the spirit of those in Jerusalem. Who had sent him on this business.

He was the very embodiment of that. He turned right round. On the side of the Christians. What does he meet? Well of course he got to meet. What he'd been given the others. He got to meet all that. Of which he'd been apart.

As now against him. And that pursued him down the years. Wherever he went. Wickedness of it. There were other kinds of suffering. The enemy. The great enemy. He knew physical suffering. Yes very much physical suffering.

He knew treachery. Oh yes every kind of suffering. He gives us the catalog. Christian is a very very real one. How shall we get through? Persecution. In the presence of affliction. Suffering and adversity.

Trial of every kind. How shall we get through? And he said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee. And my strength is made perfect in witness. Jesus the provision of God to get through. In you. The hope.

He looked into the face of Jesus. And was ever looking into the face of Jesus with his question. Can I go through? Get through? Shall I fail? Shall I break down? And ever came back from that face. My grace is sufficient for thee.

Remember how Mr. Spurgeon he said the little fish the little fish in the mighty ocean wondering how he's going to cope. And the mighty ocean said little fish my waters are enough for you. Paul the apostle or anyone else.

My grace. My strength is made perfect. The answer of the face of Jesus to every need. Paul saw it all. See how I've had to hurry through it and merely skim the surface. But go away not with the exposition not with the build up of evidence but just with the glorious fact in each in each case, each respect which be sufficient for that man and if it could be sufficient for him it can be sufficient for us.

Righteousness not our own but Christ's that we may stand before God and in the daily need of being changed the Holy Spirit given to us and ever present with us to work throughout difficulties and trials to change us into the same and in our sufferings and the Holy Spirit grace to us.

Grace of the Lord Jesus all sufficient grace. May we see the face of Jesus. May we see the answer that comes back to all our need as we look into that face. May the Lord make this time together really to prove to be a time of looking into his face and being changed.